An Unexpected Twist
by MeNerf
Summary: Soooo..what if Vanitas saved Terra, Master E, Aqua, and Ventus? What if he disobeyed his master? What if he turned good? What if Terra and Aqua admitted how they felt about each other? Read on to find out. Terra/Aqua. Sick of Vanitas being the bad guy.
1. A Change

An Unexpected Twist

**A/N: This took a long time to write! But I'm glad it's finally up! This is collaboration with Sakura088 and I'm happy she helped fill in the details! Tequa! This is going to be a story but I will not post more until I get some reviews. RR please!**

**[DISCLAMER] I do not own anything for Kingdom Hearts**

Chapter 1: A Change

Vanitas jumped down from the cliff, keyblade drawn, not wanting to fulfill his order, questioning the darkness. The air was rushing around him. He heard nothing but the air, knew nothing but how soon he would be killed. His life... wasted on darkness. The darkness. He never asked for it, never wanted it, never thought he'd ever be part of it. Killing innocent people, or hurting people who did nothing to him, for what? A stupid keyblade that would only result in more darkness. More hurt. Sure, he had played along with the darkness, summoning the unversed, getting angry, and helping it overcome everything. Well not anymore... he was done helping, he was moving on. The darkness was no longer important to him. He now realized why his master had created him, and how. He'd been created from pure darkness, and for what? The stupid "X-blade". His master was killing him off for a stupid piece of metal. _'Well, that would soon be changing.'_ Vanitas smirked. He wasn't going to let the darkness overpower him anymore.

"Aqua!," he heard Ventus yell, causing him to snap out of his thoughts. He was quickly coming closer and closer to the lilac haired girl's face. Her face was pale, and her blue eyes shone with fear and agony. He could see her lips move slightly. _'I'm sorry, Ven.'_ He could see her mouth as she closed her eyes in resignation. His eyes widened. She had accepted the fact that she was going to die. For a moment, he could see the kind of person she truly was. Strong, independent, warm, and friendly. A supporter of her friends, even to the death. Full of light. Somehow, he knew that he could not fulfill his order to kill her. Vanitas had told himself that he wouldn't follow the darkness. He was going to take this first step. Vanitas saw that it was too late to change the direction of his keyblade completely, and there was no way to throw it to the side without hurting Ventus. His body was turned the wrong way. With every once of energy that he had left, he managed to move the keyblade enough so that she wouldn't be taking the brunt force. There was no doubt in his mind that she was still going to be hit. Time seemed to slow down for the three in the situation. Ven was looking on in horror, his eyes wide in disbelief. Aqua... strong, confident, dependable, warm, loving Aqua... his best friend... was going to be taken out right before his very eyes. He felt so useless so... weak. She had always protected him, no matter what the cost had been to her. And now, when she needed help the most... needed to be saved... he could do nothing but watch. And she... she had mouthed to him that _she_ was sorry. He was the one who should be apologizing. "AQUAAA!"

Aqua was ready to accept what she saw coming. She had tried her hardest, yet she had failed. Terra was giving into the darkness. Ven had wanted them to take him out. She could do nothing to save her two best friends. She would never get to hear Ventus's laugh again. Never feel Terra hold her in his arms. Never tell Terra how she truly felt about him. She had mouthed to Ven that she was sorry. And if anything, that just made the young boy stubble harder, his blue eyes becoming more agonized. She closed her eyes, and a single tear escaped. Ven watched the tear as it fell, and by the time it had left her face, Vanitas was upon her. "Forgive me, Ven...Terra." she whispered. "I've failed you both."

Vanitas saw the tear on her face, and for the first time, he felt something stir inside his chest. Remorse. He didn't want to kill her, or even hurt her. But it was too late for that now. He was mere inches away from her body. And all of a sudden, time sped up again. Vanitas closed his eyes as he heard his keyblade make contact with the girl's body. It was an awful sound, metal scraping on metal. He opened his eyes, and saw that he missed her face by mere inches, hitting near her collar bone instead. She went flying back in an arc, and both he and Ven watched her fall. She hit the ground hard, smacking her head on a rock in the process. Her body came to a rest a few feet away from Ven, and he looked at her through petrified eyes. She didn't move. Vanitas slowly walked over to where she lay, and gently turned her over, hoping, for the first time in his life, that she was going to be okay. That he had done enough to save her.

"W-What do you think your doing?" Ven screamed at him, sobbing. "Get away from her! She's gone... you've taken her away from us...the least you can do is leave her body in peace!" Vanitas ignored him, and looked down to the lifeless face of the girl that he held in his arms. There was blood running down the left side of her face from a gash that had formed when she hit the rock. She was pale, but her chest was still moving unevenly up and down. _'she's still alive.'_ Vanitas sighed in relief. He gently shook her, trying to bring her back to consciousness.

"S-Stop! Please, kill me, just leave her alone!" Ventus yelled. Vanitas looked over at him, wondering how they had formed such a close connection. He was envious of that relationship, and wondered if he would ever have one like it. He shook his head. He was definitely changing. Just then, there was a small sound, a quiet groaning. Both boys froze, and turned their attention back to the lilac haired girl. Aqua's eyes slowly fluttered open, revealing dazed looking blue.

"Aqua..." Ven whispered quietly, not quite daring to believe that she was still alive. Aqua started at the sound of her name, and seemed to become aware of her surroundings for the first time. Her eyes began to clear as her mind came back to awareness.

"Where am I? Ven?" she questioned, slurring her words. Vanitas immediately knew that she must've hit her head harder than he had originally thought.

"No." he answered her quietly. "But you're going to be okay. You're safe for now." Aqua froze at the sound of a voice that she was not familiar with. Her eyes slowly filled with tears as she realized who was currently holding her.

"N-No!" she cried, struggling to get out of his grasp. "L-Let go of m-me!" Her words were still slurred, and he could barely understand her. She made one final effort to get away from Vanitas, and he was amazed to see how much strength she was able to gather. He gently let his grip on her go, and she shot out of his arms. Ven smiled and cheered her on as she stumbled over to his side. She was still alive! And she was still fighting. All that changed when Aqua pitched forward and fell to her hands and knees a few feet away from him. He was horrified at what he saw. Her whole face was red. Not from the exertion or from being near Terra (because he knew there was something going on there), but from blood. There was a large, deep gash on the left side of her face. Her face was a ghostly white under all the red and her limbs were shaking. Ven knew that she had to get help, soon. She was hurt badly. Vanitas sighed, and made his way over to the two. Aqua looked at him warily, but made no move to attack him. She simply wasn't strong enough. "W-What do you w-want?" Ven became even more worried when he heard her slurring her words. Something was seriously wrong with his best friend. Vanitas reached in his pocket, and the two keyblade workdays froze, eyes locked onto him. They watched as he pulled a potion out of his pocket, and proceed to use it on Aqua.

"I know that it won't do much." he told her. "But it will do enough so that you'll be able to get home, and get help. I tried to do the least amount of damage that I could with the limited I had to change my position." He handed her another potion. "Here. Use it on Ventus. Aqua get out of here as fast as you can."

"Why?" was her simple question, her eyes radiating confusion.

"That's not important." he growled. "I'm sparing your lives. I'm going to save Terra for you. I already saved your Master's life. Just go before I change my mind." He realized that he sounded harsher than he had wanted it to, but he couldn't take that back now. He jumped back on the keyblade storm and rode it to the top of the cliff, ready to face his punishment for what he was about to do. Disobey his orders. And fight the darkness within him. Aqua stared after Vanitas in pure shock, wondering if what he said was true... saving Terra's life... and he had saved master Erquas? She would find out soon enough. Even as hurt as she was, she was still coherent enough to know that she had to get Ven and leave. She stumbled over to Ven, potion in hand. He looked up at her, worry and panic evident in his eyes. Aqua avoided his eyes, afraid to confirm how badly she was actually hurt, and quickly used the potion on him. He was quickly unfrozen, and Ven sat up just in time to catch her as she fell forward again. He quickly brushed her stained red hair away from the injury, and winced when he saw that the deep gash was just as serious as he had though. It had still not stopped bleeding. The blood was quickly staining his hands red and he attempted to put some pressure on it. Aqua winced in pain and shook her head, slowly sitting up.

"We n-need to get h-home." she slowly told him.

"Aqua, you're in no shape to move anywhere, let alone fly a Ride." he retaliated. She lifted her dazed blue eyes to meet his, and slightly smiled.

"I'll m-make I-it." she managed to whisper. She painfully stood up, and summoned her Ride. Ven looked at her doubtfully, and knew that he would have to keep a very close eye on her on the way home.

_'But then again,'_ he thought. _'that's Aqua for you. Putting everyone else before herself. I should be glad that she's not insisting we stay to help Terra, as guilty as I know she is that we're not. She knows just how hurt she really is, and knows that we have a limited time before she gets worse'_ He sighed, worried even more. But he copied her, summoning his Ride. They both fixed their armor and jumped on, heading into the sky. All Ven could do was hope that Aqua would hold on until they got help, and hope Terra would find some way to come backup them.

As they left the world, Aqua couldn't help but feel guilty. She was leaving Terra behind. But she was hurt. She had told Ven that she would be okay, but there was no guarantee of that. She knew she needed help. And, surprisingly, she was hoping for the safety of Vanitas. Maybe he had changed. But now... she didn't know of she would have the chance to see either of them again.

And as Vanitas reached the top of the cliff he could only think one thing... he was going to do this, even if it meant giving up his life in the process. He had planned this moment in his head for the past months, and it was finally time to succeed... or fail.

**A/N: hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review and tell me what you thought! Should I continue on?**


	2. Two New Hearts

**A/N: Next chapter! :D We got reviews and here it is! I need more before reviews before I post the next couple chapters. Yes I know Vanitas is supposed to be evil but, I liked him too much for him to be killed (well not really, but he disappeared.. so) :P Thank you to: soluvepink , JackDarkStone , vildtiger , MonMonCandie , Keybearer001 , and last but not least the support from Musicdude212 . And a veeerrryy special thanks to WishingDreamer5 who got me and my sis Sakura088 writing again. :) I thank my sis for putting up with me at 2-4 am. I talk about Terra being in star wars.. lol the force i swith him, and crack idiotic jokes. I MOUSTACHE you a question, but ill SHAVE it for later! Thanks also anyone who added me as a fav. author or my story to their favs., or anything else. ^-^ I took what you guys said intocondideration. this is a short chapter sooo ... HERE IT IS! I typed this while tweeting, and listening to My Chemical Romance, Avenged Sevenfold, Escape The Fate, and Black Veil Brides. Inspiration! :D RR please. Ill stop rambling now. enjoy. :)**

**[Disclaimer] I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS**

*Meanwhile on the cliff*  
>Terra lunged at Xehanort with no success, he was losing and he could tell. A million thoughts were running through his mind, as it seemed like his final moments were upon him. <em>'Am I going to make it out alive? Or am I really going to die?'<em> he asked himself._ 'Did Vanitas manage to create the X-blade? If he did, that would mean Ven... Did Vanitas really carry out the order to kill Aqua? Is she really... gone?'_ That last question rang in his head, giving him strength. He knew he had to continue. If there was the slightest chance that they were still okay... He would fight to his dying breath. "Aqua...," Terra whispered, a slight pain coming to his heart. Her name echoed in his head over and over agian. Her pale blue eyes, he lilac hair, her soft pink lips with a warm smile that appeared everytime she saw him... Her bubbly laughter that always made Terra smile, despite his mood. But most of all, Terra would miss hugging her, holding her, comforting her when she got upset, hirt or scared... every aspect of her. Every single one of her flaws. And what he never got to tell her..._ 'If I make it out alive, I swear, I'll tell her,"_ Terra vowed.

Xehanort hit Terra while he was in the middle of his thoughts, and he flew back and landed hard, his keyblade flying away. Xehanort walked over to Terra, ever so slowly, his keyblade raised enough just enough to finish him off. The final blow that would ruin everything... His life, his future... it would possibly hurt Aqua... if she felt the same way he did. Tears came to Terra's eyes as he thought over that last statement, knowing that it was all over. There was no point in fighting back. He was done. No matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't make it. He knew they all would be disappointed in him, that he was just giving up, but he had no other choice. It was to late to retaliate. There was no time to re summon his keyblade. This was his final moment in the living world. Xehanort raised his keyblade above Terra's chest, getting ready to slam it down. _'I'm sorry, Master Erquas... Ven...Aqua... I wasn't able to win against the darkness. You're all gone... because of me.'_ Terra closed his eyes, waiting for the deathblow. However, it never came. Terra slowly opened his eyes just as Xehanort fell, dropping his keyblade revealing Vanitas, keyblade drawn and in motion. He had struck down his master.

Terra's eyes widened. He couldn't believe his eyes. Vanitas, of all people, killed his master... But Vanitas wasn't that stupid, he had just stunned his master, knocking him out... Vanitas picked up his masters keyblade, making it glow, and pointed it at a confused Terra. Vanitas shot a ball of light at him. Terra, being too weak to move, let the light hit him. The light... it was so warm. Terra welcomed it into his heart, and felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. Hope. Pure light. There was no more jealousy, no more anger left in his heart. As the light took over his heart, he saw a ball of pure darkness arise from watched it through stunned eyes as it disappeared into the darkening sky. He suddenly had the strength to get up and move again. He looked at Vanitas, shock clear on his face.

"What did you do to me?," Terra asked watching Vanitas. He threw the keyblade to the side, and walked over to his master.

"I took the darkness out of you. You didn't deserve it. You never deserved it. You were a victim of Xehanort's obsession over power and darkness. Now go," Vanitas commanded Terra, "I need to face my punishment... for what I'm about to do next." Vanitas summoned his keyblade and stood over his master. Terra knew he had to find a way to help Vanitas. He had saved him, proven that he was capable of change. Terra looked around, and saw the keyblade that had been tossed to the side. He picked up Xehanort's keyblade and watched it as it started to glow again with light. Just what Terra wanted... This would have to be timed perfectly. As Vanitas slammed his keyblade down on his master, Terra shot the same ball of light that Vanitas had shot at him, aimed perfectly at the other boy, causing him to drop his keyblade and go still.

Vanitas fell on his knees griping his chest as he felt the goodness in him, something he had never felt before. Feeling of hope, love, and compassion rushed into him, replacing those of hatred, anger, and loneliness. The darkness that has surrounded Vanitas started to disappear, and it turned into a ball of darkness. Vanitas gripped his chest, falling backwards, landing hard on his back. A single ball of darkness escaped his chest, returning to Xehanort, where it had first come from, causing him to vanish, along with his keyblade. Vanitas laid there, breathing hard, still griping his chest, in pain. Terra ran over to him, to make sure that he was okay. Terra relaxed when he saw the boy was okay. Making a split second decision, Terra summoned his Ride. He picked up Vanitas, and carried him to the vehicle. He was going to take responsibility for the boy, no matter what else happened. He had saven him, so he would return the favor.

"T-Thanks," Vanitas managed to gasp, before passing out. Terra climbed onto his Ride, holding Vanitas securely in his arms. He knew he would be dealing with a situation that resembled Ven's. No memory, like a zombie for the first year or so, asleep for quite some time... but he had to return the favor. After all, it was just the two of them now. Everyone else was... gone. As Terra took off to the only place he knew would be safe, The Land Of Departure, some last thoughts ran through his mind. _'Master Eraqus.. Ven... Aqua... I'm sorry. I couldn't save you in time. But I promise... I will set right all the wrong that I have done. In your memory, this I swear.'_

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. Its a short chapter. Tell me what you think. New chapter up prob tm. But I need feedback before I will move on. I need to know if I should cotinue. Once again thank you all for reading. RR please. :)**


	3. A Shattered Heart and Body

**A/N: Hey guys! Sakura088 here this time! I'll be the one posting the story when MeNerf is too busy (or too lazy) to update. I'm so glad that you guys have been enjoying the story so far! And I'm very glad for the reviews, favorites, and everything else. I know that it's been a day, but MeNerf and I decided that we wanted to put up the next chapter. We'll try to keep it consistent. Soooo... thanks to Keybearer001 and Vildtiger for reviewing! We're glad you came back to read. Special thanks to MusicDude212 for the support. Reviews are what keep the two of us going at 2 o'clock in the morning. It's great to have the support. So, this chapter should be a little bit longer than the other one, and we worked hard on it. It's been rewritten a couple of times, and we're finally satisfied with it. The next update should be within a week, as we'll be returning to writing, although we are five chapters ahead. So, without further ado, enjoy the next chapter!**

**[Disclaimer] I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS!**

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><p>*The Land of Departure*<p>

Ven had been worrying about Aqua throughout the entire trip home. It seemed like the closer they got to home, the more unsteady she seemed to become. He knew that things were not going to end well, no matter what healing spell the Master worked on her. He was beyond happy when they broke through the barrier of the world and Master Eraqus satnding there, almost waiting for them. He looked over to Aqua, and he knew that something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

Aqua had barely managed to keep herself conscious as they traveled home. It had been a fight every mile. She knew that Ven had been glancing at her then entire time, trying to gauge how she was doing. And she was glad that he hadn't been able to truly see her. She knew that she was not doing well. When they broke through to the Land of Departure, she was fighting to keep herself standing, even awake. She was so tired...all she wanted to do was go to sleep. She knew she had lost too much blood. Knew that she was in danger. She saw Master Eraqus waiting for them on the ground, but he was becoming blurry. She saw Ven look at her one final time before he started to turn his Ride towars her. Slwoly, her world was becoming black. 'I almost made it home.' was her final thought before she completely passed out.

Ven saw Aqua slowly crumple to the floor of her Ride, and he quickly turned towards her. He knew that she couldn't hit the ground as hurt as she would. She wouldn't survive another hit. Ven pushed his ride faster than he had ever gone before as he saw her fall completely off her Ride. Master Eraqus watched on in horror. He knew that something had gone wrong, and he was helpless. He ran quickly over to where his two disciples were coming down. Ven pushed his board into a nose dive, trying to reach Aqua. The ground was coming up, and fast. With a last minute, desperate burst of speed, he caught her in his arms, only feet away from the cold, unforgiving earth. He quickly landed, and his armor dissolved.

"Ven? What happened?" Master Eraqus asked as he reached them. He was stunned to see Ven crying.

"Please, Master Eraqus, you have to help Aqua! She's hurt so badly... Something's wrong." he cried out, fearing for his friend's life. Master Eraqus gasped as Aqua's armor dissolved and revealed how truly injured she was. The gash on her head was still bleeding profusely, her hair sticky with blood. Her face and neck were died red, as was the top of her clothes. Her breathing was shallow and shaky. Ven went still as he saw how much more blood there was then when they had left. There was no color left to her face, and that's what scared him the most. She had always been so full of life that it overflowed into everything that she did. But now... She was so still. She looked... dead.

"N-No..." Ven whispered. She couldn't be dead. Couldn't die. Master Eraqus quickly took control of the situation.

"Ven, I need you to run the fastest you've ever run. Go to the castle and get warm water and bandages ready. Towels as well. Find the loosest pair of Aqua's clothing and lay them out on the chair next to her bed. I don't care how embarassing you may think it is, we can't leave her in tight clothes." Master Eraqus commanded. "I'm going to perform a Cure spell on her before I bring her in, but this injury was caused and touched by darkness. It won't heal with a simple spell." Ven looked momentarily stunned, but he shook himself out of it and ran. Master Eraqus looked at his student, whom he considered to be his daughter. "Please, Aqua. You need to fight." he whispered as he worked the strongest version of the Cure spell he knew on her. He watched as the magic slowly settled in and her breathing became slightly less labored before he carried her limp form quickly up to the castle.

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><p>*Aqua's Room*<p>

By the time Master Eraqus walked into Aqua's room, Ven had everything that he had asked for ready. Draws were thrown open, the closets raided, but everything else was laid neatly out near the bed. Ven's eyes were filled with a sadness that he had never seen the young boy express before. It was as if he was begging Eraqus to save her with his eyes.

"I'll do the best I can, Ven." he whispered to the young boy. "Now, please, leave the room so I can mae her comfortable and close the wound." Ven nodded, although he looked reluctant to leave her side. He sat outside the door, waiting until he was once again permitted to enter. He put his head on his knees and waited for what seemed like forever. The blonde haired boy jumped when he heard his name being softly called, and ran into the room.

When Ven entered the room, Master Eraqus was gently cleaning the blood off of Aqua's face with one of the towels. He noticed that her bloody clothes had been exchanged for the soft, blue sweat pants and loose white tank top that he had found. He walked slowly over to her bed, tears in his eyes.

"Ven, I need you to go to her other side. I need help with putting the bandages on her wound. Do you think you could do it?" Eraqus whispered. Ven silently nodded his head. He would do anything to help Aqua...his best friend...his sister. He slowly moved to the left side of her body and winced when he saw the gash running down her face. The blood had been cleaned away, but now he could see just how long and deep it was. It ran from her hair line all the way down to her neck, and was stitched up with magic. He didn't understand how she had been able to make it back home, seeing how severe it was now. He choked back a sob.

"I c-can do i-it." he managed to whisper. Master Eraqus nodded.

"All right, Ven. I'm going to lift her head up and pass the bandage underneath. I need you to take the gauze and put it over her wound, and wrap the andage on top so that the gauze stays in place. Okay?" Ven nodded silently again, doing as his Master requested. They continued on until they got to her forehead. "Good job. Now we need to lift her body up and wrap the bottom of the gauze on her neck so that it all satys in place. Ready?" Once again, a nod. They contined their work in silence until it was completed. Master Eraqus sat down in a chair that was next to Aqua's bed. Ven hadn't moved, his head hanging and eyes downcast. "Ven, come here." Ven walked over, and allowed himself to be pulled into a hug.

"S-She'll be okay, w-won't she?" he quietly asked him through silent tears. Eraqus hesitated.

"It's all up to her now, Ven. We've done what we can. It's her fight now. It's whatever she chooses. Fight...or give up." he answered. Ven's tears came faster.

"I understand." he whispered. Master Eraqus stood up and gathered his things, preparing to leave. "Please..." Ven whispered one last time. "Please, can I stay with her?" Eraqus gave a small smile.

"Yes, you may. She's going to need your support. And we're going to have to change that bandage later." he replied. Ventus nodded and sat down in the chair, gently grabbing Aqua's hand.

"Please, Aqua...there are so many people fighting for you, waiting for you to come back to us. I can't loose you. Terra can't loose you. We need you to come back to us." Ven whispered quietly. "I know that you're a fighter. You can do this. You have to...please..."

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><p>*The Spare Room*<p>

Terra had finally managed to get back to the Land of Departure, and had laid Vanitas on the bed in one of the castle's many spare bedrooms. He began shuffling around, putting sheets on the bed so that the boy wouldn't get cold, and pillows under his head for comfort. Although, he didn't see what good it would do, as his helmet was still on. Terra wasn't about to take it off. The boy was so damned attached to it. He sighed. He had a long stretch of time in front of him. To top it off, he was alone. Everyone was gone. What he wouldn't give to have Ven by his side cracking witty jokes, or Aqua there to tell him about some new spell she had learned that day. Spells were like water to her. She absorbed them just as quickly as they were thrown at her. He would even take Master Eaqus's yelling over the deafening silence that was there now.

"I thought I saw the light in this room on." a voice said from behind him. Terra froze, and quickly regretted the last thing he had just said. _'Why couldn't it have been_ _Ven or Aqua?'_ he quietly asked the heavens before he turned around. Sure enough, there was Master Eraqus.

"Master Eraqus, please forgive me, I didn;t know what I was doing, I've changed, I will never give into the darkness, just please forgi-"

"I know Terra. I can feel the difference in your heart. In Vanitas's heart. It's full of light. And I forgave you already. I tried to destroy one of my own pupils. If anything, I failed you. Let's put it to the side for now, shall we?" Master Eraqus said tiredly. Terra nodded silently.

"But how are you ali-"

"The same way you are. Vanitas." the Master answered. "He is welcome here. We will take care of him." Terra nodded again. It was then that he noticed the bloody towels in his Master's hands. A feeling of dread washed upon him.

"What happened?" he asked quietly, dreading the answer. Master Eraqus looked away, back down at his hands. "Master Eraqus...please..."

"Ven and Aqua came back before you arrived. Vanitas disobeyed his order to kill them both. But...something was wrong..."

"What...?" he urged his Master to go on. The little feeling of happiness at hearing his friends were still alive evaporated as soon as he heard something was wrong.

"Aqua..." Terra's heart dropped into his stomach. "She was hurt...severely. She lost too much blood." Terra once again looked down to the blood soaked towels, terror showing clearly in his eyes. "I managed to close the wound up, but she was hurt by the darkness. All that I was able to get from Ven was that Vanitas had only been able to alter his course slightly by the time he made his decision, and Aqua hit the ground hard. He hasn't said anything else. He's in shock."

"But...she'll be okay, right?" Terra asked in a pained voice.

"I'll tell you what I told Ventus. I've done what I can. It's up to her now. It's her fight if she wants to fight...or give up." Master Eraqus told the heartbroken teenager.

"Where is she?" Terra whispered.

"In her room. Ven's staying with her. I'll take care of Vanitas tonight. Go." Terra ran out of the room and down the hallway. It was a route he knew well, one that he could run with his eyes closed. He froze in front of Aqua's room, unsure of what he was about to see. With a deep breath, he turned the door knob and entered. It felt like he had been punched in the gut. He froze in the doorway, stunned, unable to comprehend that the pale girl on the bed was Aqua. Ven slowly turned around, his eyes widening when he saw Terra standing there.

"Terra..." he whispered.

"Aqua..." Terra said, his voice breaking. He turned to look at Ven. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, and they were full of pain.

"Terra, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. Maybe if I had made her wait, or had gotten her here faster, or-"

"Ven, it's not your fault. Never think that it's your fault." Terra whispered, interrupting him. He walked over to Ven and put his hand on his shoulder. "She'll be okay. She's always okay. She has to be okay."

"Did you want me to leave, I can go-"

"No. Stay. She's your friend as much as she is mine. She means just as much to you as she does to me."

"Are you sure-" the blonde tried again.

"Yes, Ven. She needs both of us now. And...I can't do this alone." Terra told Ven quietly. Ven nodded in understanding. He had been feeling the same way as soon as Master Eraqus had left the room. He couldn't do it alone either.

"You're not alone, Terra. You never were." Ven quietly yold him. Terra gave him a small smile before he walked around to the other side of the bed. He sat in the other chair that was in the room and picked up a small, white, fragile hand. He bowed his head and brought her hand to his forehead. _'Please, Aqua.'_ he silently thought. _'Please fight...to come back to us.'_

**A/N: So, another chapter done! I hope you guys enjoyed it, and look for the next chapter within the week. Any ideas are greatly welcome, as some of the next chapters we write will be fluff. Also...a poll! Do you think we should stick with fluff, or go back into some action after some fluff? We have things planned either way, but we would like to know what you would like to read. So, R & R! It makes our day! =)**


	4. One Piece Together Again

**A/N: Hey guys! SAkura088 here again! MeNerf is currently busy playing Tap Tap, so I'll be updating again. So, we're sorry that this wasn't up sooner! It was supposed to be up on Friday, but our dad took off of work, and that means limited computer use... and Harry Potter took off, so today we will be updating. So... big thanks to Silver4294, Kisuka-Yukira, Retro Nami, ArsNotAnUnversed, XionsSomebody, Dark-Wing-Blader, soluvepink, Mata Nui, Ruby Warrior Girl 730, and emmausgirl94 for reviewing, favoriting, and adding our story to alert lists! And BIG thanks to JackDarkStone, MonMOnCandie, Vildtiger, Keybearer001, and Terra ForceXIII who always give great feed back and advice, and for some reading since the beginning. As always, big thanks to Musicdude212 for the support. You guys are all awesome! We couldn't ask for better readers! Sorry, this is so long, I just want to thank everyone. =) So, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please leave a review, it makes our day!**

**[Disclaimer] DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS**

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><p><strong>*One Month Later; Land of Departure*<strong>

Terra sighed, looking out the window in Aqua's room. It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining, the birds could be heard singing through the open window. A soft breeze floated in, and passed over the two in the room, ruffling both their hair. HIs eyes shifter to the lilac haired girl who was laying silently on the bed.

It had been a month, and she hadn't moved from the same position. Her eyes were always closed to the world. To him and Ven. Her face was still a ghostly white, her breathing slow. There were times when it seemed like she had stopped breathing, and they had to step in to help. A coma, that was what Master Eraqus had called it. They didn't know if she would ever wake up. And if she did, they didn't know if her brain had been damaged by the loss of blood. Everything was a bunch of uncertainties.

The brown haired teenager tightened his grip on her hand, silently begging her to respond in some way. But, as always, there was nothing. Now there were two people in the castle who didn't respond. Vanitas still hadn't woken up either. But there was the difference. He would wake up. Granted, it would be on his own time, but he would open his eyes once again. The same couldn't be said for Aqua.

For the first time in his life, the castle seemed to echo the dire situation that had fallen upon it. It was deathly quiet. He and Ven walked around like zombies, going through the motions of everyday life without putting too much thought into it. It was all automatic. The hall that once rang with the three of their voices was now silent. During practice, the only thing that could be heard was the sharp metallic clang of keyblade on keyblade. On more than one occasion, Terra had seen Ven flinch at the noise. He didn't even want to know why. And Ven. The last time that Terra remembered him being so quiet was when he first woke up from the same sleep Vanitas was now in.

Ven was having a very hard time getting through this. It was clear that he was trying to be strong, but the poor kid had never gone through something like this before. Not that he remembered, anyway.

Terra's heart broke when he remembered what had happened a few weeks ago. Master Eraqus, who had been out of sorts lately, had been giving them a lesson in magic. It was the only lesson that they were still happy that they had, for they always felt closer to Aqua during this time. Eraqus had been teaching them the spell for summoning balls of light, something they knew that Aqua had mastered years ago. Ven had been hell bent on mastering one of her favorite spells. So when, out of nowhere, he summoned five of them in a row, he let out a loud cheer and took off running, yelling Aqua's name as he went. Terra remembered looking at Master Eraqus before they both ran after him.

Ven ran quickly into the castle, a huge smile on his face as he turned towards the large living room. It was where they would normally find Aqua reading up on a new spell when they were practicing one she had already mastered. Ven quickly froze, the smile fading off of his face, when he remembered that she wasn't there, that he couldn't tell her what he had been able to do. The blonde haired boy had slowly turned around to face Terra and Master Eraqus before he walked out of the room, eyes downcast. Terra had reached out to him, but Ven had pushed past him, on the verge of tears. The young boy was inconsolable for the rest of the day, and refused to leave Aqua's side.

They had all found themselves making the same mistake over and over again before they could remember that she wasn't going to be there. Terra still half expected to see her walking out of the library with an arm full of books everytime he passed it. Ven couldn't even walk by the library anymore. And they both found Master Eraqus having a harder time teaching them magic. They needed her to come back. Terra snapped out of his reverie and let go of Aqua's hand. He slowly walked over to the window and leaned against the wooden frame.

"We all need you to come back Aqua. We can't do anything without you." he quietly whispered to the wind. He turned around as he heard Vens familiar footsteps enter the room.

"Nothing new?" he quietly asked, as he always did. Terra shook his head. Ven sighed and sat down in the chair that Terra had previously occupied and laid his head down on the bed. "Master Eraqus is ending us on a trip to anther world." he quietly stated.

"What? Why?" Terra questioned him. "We need to stay here for Aqua."

"That's exactly what I told him. And he told me that that was the exact reason why he was sending us away in the first place." Terra's brows came together in confusion. "Apparently we're too depressed, and he thinks that some time away will help us. He's hoping we'll return in a better mood."

"Yeah. That won't work."

"I know." Ven stated simply. "But we have to go. It's our duty. And who knows? Maybe it will work after all. He promised to call us home if anything goes wrong." Terra nodded.

"Then we should probably go and get ready, huh?"

"Yeah." Ven still hadn't made a move to get up, and Terra chuckled. He walked back over to Aqua, gently squeezing her hand again, and pulled Ven up into a standing position.

"What are we waiting for? The faster we go, the faster we can get done, and the faster we can come home." Ven sighed and nodded. The two left the room, but not before looking back at their silent, sleeping friend.

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><p><strong>*One Week Later*<strong>

It had been one week since Terra and Ven's departure, and the castle was still as silent as ever. This time, it was Master Eraqus's turn to sigh. If he was truthful with himself, he missed the three of his students running up and down the halls, making noise. At least the castle was full of life. Now, it just seemed to be full of death. It felt unnatural.

It had been over a month, and Aqua still hadn't woken up. Hadn't moved or responded to them at all. She occasionally had a hard time breathing. Instead of getting stronger, she seemed to become weaker. She just wasn't fighting.

As he made the long treck up the stairs towards her room, he wondered how he was going to tell the boys what he needed to when they returned. The decision he had come to was one of the hardest he had ever made. He was going to have to tell them that there was nothing more they could do... That they'd have to let her go soon. She was just a shell now, and they couldn't leave her like that forever. It wasn't fair to her. Her injury had been too severe, or her will too weak. She hadn't responded to any kind of stimulus, which led him to believe there was too much damage done.

Master Aqua... She had been able to carry that title for such a short amount of time that it didn't seem fair. But there was nothing that he could do for her anymore. Master Eraqus walked to her room, heartbroken. She was like a daughter to him. He felt like he had failed her in some way. Like he had failed them all in some way.

Eraqus reached her room and slowly turned the bronze door handle. He slowly walked across the room and came to a stop at her bed side. She was still, her face devoid of all color. The bandages were now off, revealing a long, red scar. Eraqus gently took a pale hand in one of his hands. A single tear escaped and fell down his face.

"Please, Aqua." he quietly pleaded with the still girl. "Don't let me have to tell them that. Don't make me have to do that to you." Silence was his answer. He gently squeezed her hand, not expecting anything. So, when he felt a slight twitch against his hand, he quickly looked down at hers. Again, he gently squeezed her hand. And there it was. A slight twitch of her fingers. Hope jumped in Master Eraqus's chest for the first time in over a month.

"Aqua?" he called softly to the teen. Her fingers tightened their grip on his hand. A small smile formed on his face. She had responded to her name. He had to try once again. He had to be sure. "Aqua?" he called again, a little louder. Sure enough, her hand tightened in response, and a slight sigh escaped her white lips. His smile became wider still. She was finally fighting, and fighting hard. She was winning.

Suddenly, he knew that she was going to be okay. He wasn't going to have to deliver news that he had never wanted to utter to the two boys he saw as sons. She was coming back to them. He looked down again, her form once again still. Somehow, he knew that he would see ocean blue once again.

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><p>Aqua felt herself slowly slip back into awareness. Her mind was foggy, but she heard someone calling her name from far away. <em>'It sounds like Master Eraqus.'<em> she thought to herself drowsily. She had been trained to respond immediately to that voice, and her body still remembered that. But her limbs felt too heavy to lift.

She was mad that she couldn't respond. So she settled for clenching her hand. Of course, it was nothing more than her fingers twitching, but it was something. She must've done something wrong, because her name was again called, this time louder. She wanted nothing more than to answer back, let him know she was listening, but couldn't respond for some reason. All that she was able to accomplish was a slight twitch and sigh.

But this seemed to be good enough as he let her hand go. She felt her consciousness wavering, and she became weary once again. Before she fell back into the dark, she promised herself that she would do more next time. She had to.

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><p><em>'Two days.'<em> Master Eraqus thought to himself as he made his way up the stairs to Aqua's room once again. It had been two days since she had started to respond. She had only been getting better, fighting harder. _'Maybe today will be the day.'_ He had been hoping with every passing day that she would wake up. That he would be able to see just how much damage had been done, and how long it would take before she would fully recover. He was more than willing to help. It was his duty as her Master. And she had become family long ago.

Eraqus opened her door quietly and looked over to Aqua. Her cheeks had a faint tinge of pink to them, her lips a slightly darker shade. Her face itself had lost some of its paleness, and she looked more alive than he had seen her in the past month, even couple of days. She had begun to respond more and more, shifting positions for the first time the day after she had first responded. Right now, she had her covers kicked off, her legs curled to her side.

He smiled and walked over to her bedside. Even though she was not awake, it gave him comfort to see that she was able to move. Maybe she would be okay, no damage done. He would just have to wait and see. He gently fixed the sheets that she had kicked off sometime during the day so that she wouldn't get cold during the night, as summer was slowly turning into fall.

Aqua slowly stirred as he moved the sheets up, stretching her legs out beneath the blanket. Master Eraqus backed away, not wanting to startle her. He watched as her eyes fluttered open, revealing ocean blue to the world for the first time in over a month.

Aqua looked at the ceiling as her vision slowly came into focus. She could see that she was back in her room, although the last thing she remembered right now was seeing Terra and Ven in the Keyblade Graveyard. Everything else was blank until she heard Master Eraqus's voice drifting through the dark. _'Master Eraqus... but he_ _was...'_ she winced as she turned her head to the right side, and her blue eyes found her Master's.

"Why... do I feel... like... I've been run... over?" she questioned quietly and slowly, trying to form every word correctly as they fell from her lips, her voice raspy from lack of use. Eraqus smiled gently, confusing his student more than she already was.

"Aqua... You've been very sick. Do you remember anything?" he asked her, his eyes searching hers. Aqua's brows furrowed in concentration. It wasn't long before Master Eraqus saw realization hit her eyes.

"I was hit... and I was loosing too much blood..." she responded, her words becoming louder and more sure the longer she was conscious. "But I had to get home... I passed out on my Ride when Ven and I had almost made it hom... Ven!" she exclaimed as she tried to get up. She hissed in pain as every muscle in her body protested.

"Ven's fine." Eraqus told her while gently pushing her back down onto the bed. "As are Terra and Vanitas. Everyone is home. You were the one we've been worrying about. You have been in a coma for over a month."

"A month?" she asked, her eyes widening in surprise. Eraqus nodded.

"We didn't know when you would wake up, or if you even would. We did not know if there would be any damage caused by blood loss or the hits you recieved. We've all been very worried about you." She nodded, then seemed to register the 'we' part of the sentence.

"Terra? He's...okay? As well as... Vanitas?" she asked, worry now appearing in her weary eyes. Master Eraqus shook his head. She was always more concerned for others saftey and health before her own.

"Yes, they are both fine. Vanitas is still asleep. Terra and Ventus have been watching over you since that night. I don't think I have ever seen Ven as quiet as he has been. Terra either." Aqua looked at him, guilt in her eyes. "I'm sorry." she told him quietly, weariness now lacing her voice. He smiled and shook his head.

"You are not at fault, Aqua. You became injured trying to help your friends. Therefore, they naturally wanted to do as much as they could for you. Repay you for all that you have done for them. I wanted to repay you for being one of my best apprentices, for all that you have done for me over the years. I have learned quite a bit from my first female disciple." he laughed quietly. Aqua slowly smiled.

"I'm glad that you chose me." she told the man she saw as a father. "I couldn't have asked for a better Master. Thank you." He smiled back and patted her gently on the head.

"I am proud that I was able to give you your title, Master Aqua." he told her proudly as her face brightened.

"Oh...Speaking of the boys... Where are they?" Aqua asked, looking slowly around her room, noticing pillows and blankets in a neat pile on one side of the wall, and another, messier pile in an arm chair. Master Eraqus laughed.

"The boys took to sleeping in here." he told her when he noticed her confused expression. "I sent the two of them on a little camping trip. They needed a break from all of this, but they were hesitant to leave. Ven made me promise that I'd call them back if even the littlest thing went wrong. But don't worry about that now. They won't be back for another three weeks. You have time to ask questions, and recover." Eraqus told her.

Aqua nodded tiredly and yawned. A conversation that had probably lasted no more that ten minutes had taken everything out of her. She watched as Master Eraqus pulled her blankets up, smiling gratefully at him. He somehow knew she had nothing left.

"Get some sleep, Aqua." he whispered, walking towards the door. She nodded, her eyes already closed. She didn't even notice the silent click of the door as it was closed.

_'By the time they get back... I'll be back on my feet.'_ she silently told herself. _'Everything will be okay. We'll all be okay again.'_ With these final thoughts, the lilac haired girl fell into a peaceful slumber, eager for the rest of the month to pass.

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><p><strong>AN: This is MeNerf again. Back from my little loopy phase. :D hehe yea. So thank you guys for reviewing and telling us what you think. It means a lot. We need your feedback before we move on and any ideas. Thankies! Special thank you to Musicdude212 for being my Kingdom Hearts buddy and talking about randomness with me. He mah bro! ^-^ Love you bro (not like that)**


	5. An Unexpected Visit

**A/N: Sakura088 here! And we're back with a new chapter! This was supposed to be part of the previous chapter, but since chapter 4 went through an over haul, it became too long, and we seperated them. So then chapter 5 became too short, and it was re-written. I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter, it was fun to write off the prompt MeNerf came up with. So... thank you time!I'll let MeNerf take it from here. MeNerf here! Anyway I'd like to thank some people. PiggyBlue, AquaStormXIV, Terra ForceXIII, and vildtiger (who has been here from the beggining)A huge shoutout to GingerSnapsBack for giving us an idea which we are going to use :). And a huge shoutout to MusicDude212 for being my KH buddy and my bro. Soooo... here it is!**

**[Disclaimer] DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS!**

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><p>Morning had dawned in the Land of Departure, and it promised to be another gorgeous day. The early time of morning did not seem to bother the two people walking along the path towards the training courts. A gentle cool breeze blew the soft green grass against the metal shoes of a lilac haired girl as she made her way towards the courts, humming softly.<p>

Walking behind her, a black haired man smiled as he watched her pick her way carefully through the terrain._ 'I cannot believe it has been three weeks already.'_ he mused to himself as she reached the courts. He watched as the girl lifted her face up to the clear blue sky, her eyes closed, letting the slowly rising sun warm her face. The breeze blew her hair out of her face, and she slowly opened her eyes. Pink lips pulled upwards into a smile, and she sighed in contentment.

Eraqus smiled at his middle pupil. Aqua had come along beautifully and faster than he had ever expected, pushing and fighting every step of the way. It had been ony three weeks, and she was already up and training. It was incredible. He thought back on the past three weeks, and he was amazed at how far she had truly come in such a short amount of time.

The first week had been full of questions, explanations, and rest. Sleep had been important in the first couple of days, and he had watched as she gained more and more strength every time he went to see her. Questions and explanations from the both of them came in the moments that she was awake and ready to talk. Everytime Aqua had woken up, it seemed like she could do more, wanted to do more.

And once she felt like she had laid in bed enough, she pushed herself to stand, then to walk. He had been more than a little stunned when he checked on her one morning, expecting to find her asleep and in bed, and found her standing and looking out the window. There had been no hlding her back after that.

The second week found Aqua exercising, trying to get her energy and strength back up to par. First, it had been making her way up and down the stairs on her own. Once she had mastered that, she began crunches and push-ups on the floor of her room to build her muscle tone and endurance.

Halfway through the week, she was running up and down the path in front of the castle. He was always out there, making sure that she didn't push her body too far, too fast. But by the end of the week, she was running laps. He learned not to question her actions.

The thrid week had begun, and he found himself starting up her magic training once again. She had proved that she was physically strong enough for a little more training, and was eager to practice once again. Fire soon turned to Fira, then to Firaga. Thunder to Thundara and Thundaga.

Her mind and body seemed to become stronger as each day passed, the look of determination never wavering from her eyes. This was the Aqua that he remembered, She seemed to glow with life, and it spilled into everything that she did. When he offered to bump up her training, she readily agreed.

Master Eraqus shook himself out of his thoughts as he caught up, and turned to the blue eyed girl. She seemed to shake herself out of her own thoughts, and turned to him as well. He smiled at her.

"Are you ready, Aqua?" he asked the girl.

"Yes, Master Eraqus." she replied with a smile. They both slowly walked to opposite ends of the court, then faced each other. Aqua quickly summoned Rain Fall, and got into her fighting stance. Eraqus follwed soon after with Mark Of Mastery.

"Remember, Aqua, please do not push yourself. If you begin to tire, we will stop." he shouted across to her. She nodded, and the training began. He rushed at her, and she quickly brought her keyblade up in defense. She back flipped away as he made to strike at her again. He smiled. _'Reactions are as fast as ever.'_

It was then Aqua's turn to strike back. and Eraqus's turn to block. Their keyblades clashed, and it then turned into a battle of strength, each pushing and fightimg for the upper hand. Neither won, and they sprang away from each other._ 'Strength is about the same as well.'_ he noted quietly. She then ran at him again, and swung when she was close enough. He managed to dodge each hit, and she kept trying. After nearly an hour, Aqua was sitting on the ground, her Master standing with his keyblade at her neck. She laughed.

"You won." Aqua told him with a smile. Eraqus extended his hand to her, which she gratefully took. He helped he stand up, and made sure she was steady before letting go.

"Yes, but you put up a good fight. Your agility and strength have not wavered much from where they once were." he replied with a smile of his own.

"Well, I'm happy to hear that. All that work actually paid off then." she laughed again as she brushed the dirt from her clothes. "I can't wait until Terra and Ven get back so that we can practice together again." There was longing in her voice, and Eraqus knew that, more than anything, it was those tow boys that had kept her going. She missed them more than anything. He smiled at her once again, but was now deep in thought.

_'Well, she has proved that she is capable of defending herself, and of fighting. She has full use of her armor, and her Ride. She has proved to me that she hs become strong enough. There is no reason not to...I wonder...'_ he thought quietly to himself before speaking aloud. "Aqua?"

"Yes?" she asked, confused by his sudden change in tone.

"You have proved quite a lot to me in the past three weeks. I am very proud of you." he told her, pride in his voice, eyes, and stance. He could see that she was still confused. "You have full use of your armor and your Ride. You are capable of fighting and defending yourself. And I am sorry that Terra and Ventus are not here to celebrate it with you."

"Yes, but I-"

"I was wondering if you would like to go on an errand for me." he told her, trying not to laugh as her expression became more and more confused.

"Of course, Master Eraqus." she replied, confused as to where this was all leading. But, as confused as she was, she was eager to travel off world once again. "What is it? Where do I have to go?"

"Would you go to Dwarf Woods and find Terra and Ventus for me? I think that it's about time that they came home. I did tell Ven that I would contact him if something bad were to happen. why not somethig good?" he asked her, amusement in his eyes. Her blue eyes lit up, suddenly understanding where the conversation had been leading the whole time. She grinned and nodded excitedly.

"Of course!" Aqua quickly replied, walking towards the middle of the court. "So, just find them and bring them home?"

"Yes. I think that they deserve a visit from someone they have missed." he told her with a laugh.

She grinned again, and hit the armor on her arm. With a flash of light, her blue and purple armor comlpetely covering her. She thre Rain Fall into the air, and her Ride came quickly down to meet her. She jumped on and, with a wave, she passed through the world's barrier.

Master Eraqus smiled, and slowly made his way back to the castle. There was no doubt in his mind that they would be surprised. The armor and Ride alone was a dead give away that it was Aqua, and not him. He smiled again and shook his head, wishing that he could be there to see their reactions. Instead, he would give them their time alone. There would be plenty of time to catch up with them all later.

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><p>*Dwarf Woods*<p>

It was a very hot day in Dwarf Woods, much like the rest of the month had been, and the sun was shining non stop on a little clearing that contained a fire pit and two tents. A brown haired boy stared up at the sky, a scowl on his face. The heat was doing nothing to help his mood. It had been a month, a month without knowing how she was doing, without being there to support her. He just wanted to gp back home. Their 'mission' turned out to be nothing more than a camping trip. No Unversed. No training. Nothing to do but sit there. A sudden yelp caught his attention, and he sighed heavily.

"Ven, what are you doing?" Terra yelled over his shoulder in the direction he had heard Ven's voice coming from.

"I got something caught in the tree." was the answer he recieved back. Terra sighed again and rubbed his temples.

_'Two more days, Terra. Just two more days.'_ he thought to himself. "What, exactly, did you get stuck in the tree?"

"Um...nothing." The answer was followed by another yelp, and a crashing sound.

"Ventus. It's too hot out for this. What did you get stuck in the tree?"

"...My Wayfinder..." Terra sighed and stood up, beginning to make his way over to where he thought Ven was.

"And how, do tell, did you get it stuck up there in the first place?" he asked him, beginning to look up at the trees as he entered the forest. "You know what, nevermind. I'm not sure that I want to know." He heard Ven sigh.

"I was holding it up to the sun, and some wierd bird took it and flew off with it. Now I'm trying to get it back." Terra had to laugh. Just then there was a crashing sound from the trees again, and the next thing Terra knew, Ven was hanging upside down just a few inches away from his face, the Wayfinder in his hands.

"Well, I guess I found you." Terra snickered.

"Yeah yeah, ha ha. It's hilarious." Ven hadn't been in the best of moods either the past month. "Now can you please help me get out?" he asked, a frown on his face. Terra sighed and grabbed onto Ven's arms.

"I'm never going camping again." he grumbled as he pulled on his arms.

"Yeah, well I second that moti-" Ven never got to finish his sentence. The tree branch he was caught in suddenly gave way with a resounding crack, and both he and the branch fell on top of Terra. Ven smiled nervously. "Uh...Thanks?" he told Terra, rubbing the back of his head. Terra sighed in annoyance.

"Yeah, fine. Can you just get o-" They both froze as a new sound reached threir ears. A buzzing. Both boys looked over and saw that the branch they had just pulled down had been home to a hive of bees.

"Run!" Ven shouted, untangling himself from the branch and taking off. Terra followed suit, although quite a bit slower.

"Ven! Get back here!" he yelled to the blonde haired boy in front of him. _'Why does he have to be the one with speed?'_ Terra silently questioned. Ven looked behind him and shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm going to run back, straight to the bees. Good idea, Terra." Terra looked behind him, and put on more speed. The bees were indeed following them.

_'Great. Just great. As if being away from home for a month wasn't bad enough.'_

Both boys ran through their clearing, and towards the lake that they had previously been ignoring. They jumped in and dove underwater, waiting for the bees to pass before they came up for air. Ven surfaced quickly, followed by Terra, his brown hair hanging down into his face, giving him a slightly feminine look. Ven gulped.

"Well, you did say it was too hot." he laughed nervously. Terra growled and lunged at him, grabbing him by the straps across his chest, and holding him in the air.

"Ven, I swear-" The end of his sentence was cut off as the two heard the sound of a Ride entering the world. Ven looked at Terra, fear clear on his face. There was only one reason why they would hear that noise. He had asked to be told if somehing bad were to happen. And the fact that Master Eraqus was here clearly said that something had. Terra must have been thinking alomg the same lines, for fear was written on his face as well.

"No..." Ven whispered. Terra closed his eyes, as if preparing himself for the worse. Both boys turned their heads to look up into the clear blue sky, looking for the Ride that they knew would appear. It seemed as if time had slowed. After what seemed like hours, but was actually a few minutes, a Ride came into view above the tree line.

But there was something wrong with it and the person riding it. Master Eraqus did not have that type of Ride, and his armor ws definitely not blue, black, and purple. There was only one person they knew that would fit the profile of the person they saw flying towards them. And it simply wasn't possible for it to be her.  
>Terra and Ven watched as the person guided the Ride to the shore of the lake and gracefully jumped off, landing in a crouch, the Ride quickly disapearing. There was a flash of light as the person stood up and the armor dissolved. Everything suddenly took on a surreal quality.<p>

"So, is this the kind of trouble that you get into when I'm not around to watch the two of you?" the person on shore shouted out across the lake, laughing. Terra, who was still holding Ven in the air, dropped him in shock. He began to rush towards the lilac haired, blue eyed girl who was waiting for them on shore. The girl laughed harder, her eyes shining with amusement, and walked closer to the water.

Terra hit the shore hard, stumbling as his feet tried to adjust to solid ground, and continued to run towards the girl. He grabbed her in a tight hug, not daring to believe any of it was true.

"Aqua..." he whispered in her ear, putting his head on her right shoulder. She hugged hi, tightly back, putting her left hand on the back of his head, holding it where it was. She knew that he needed reassurance that yes, she was here, and yes, she was okay.

"Terra..." she whispered back, needing the same amount of reassurance that he was okay as well. The last time they had talked had been in the Keyblade Graveyard, two months ago. And with the events that had led up to the last battle, she had thought that she had lost him as well. She sighed in relief, and Terra lifted his head so that he could look at her.

"You're really okay?" he finally said, his statement sounding more like a question. He still had her in a tight embrace, and showed no sign of letting go. Aqua smiled and nodded.

"I'm really okay." she replied, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. Terra smiled back at her, feeling happy for the fist time in over two months. It was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. She was okay. She was here, with them. They would be okay again.

"Aquaaaa!" They heard someone esle yell before she found herself on her butt for the second time that day. Ven had tackled both her and Terra in a hug, and had somehow managed to knock them both down. Terra had let go so that no harm would come from the fall, but he made sure their shoulders were still touching. They all needed that physical contact to know that this was all truly real.

Ven had wrapped his arms around Aqua in a tight hug, and buried his head in her shoulder, crying. The tears that had begun to gather in her eyes finally fell, and she rubbed his back with her hand, trying to calm him down. He had been witness to everything. The attack, the after math... It had shaken him up. He had never gone through something like that before, not that he remembered.

"It's okay, Ven. I'm okay. I'm not going anywhere. We're all going to be okay." she told him soothingly. It took another couple of minutes before he was able to calm down and look up at her. There were still tears in her eyes, and there was a long red scar on the left side of her face, but she was smiling. He gave her a watery smile in return.

"I missed you." he told her, still holding onto her as if he was afraid she would disappear if he let go. She laughed quietly and ruffled his blonde hair.

"I missed you too." she replied. "I missed both of you. I've been working hard these past three weeks. Thinking of you two is what kept me going."

"You've been awake for three weeks, and you're already up and moving?" Terra asked, his eyes widening slightly.

"Yup. I had some very important people to find and bring home with me."

"We get to go home?" Ven asked her, his face brightening considerably.

"Yes, you get to come home." she told him with a laugh. "Well, you can come home as soon as you get off of me and help me up. I've already had training today, I've already been on mu butt twice, and this was a long trip. I'm tired." Both boys instantly stood up and offered her one of their hands. she took them both, and they picked her up off the ground and watched as she dusted herself off. Aqua looked over to the both of them and smiled.

"Ready to go home?" she asked them. Ven ran off, betting that he could pack faster than Terra, and Terra took him up on the challenge. Aqua laughed and followed at a slower pace. By the time she got there, they were ready.

Soon, they were on their Rides and in their armor, ready to leave. They each nodded to each other, and took off, leaving Dwarf Woods behind.

* * *

><p>*The Land of Departure*<p>

Master Eraqus was excited to have all three of his students back in the castle once again. And when he heard the sound of Rides landing, and of three people laughing outside, the excitement built. The castle had been quiet for too long.

He quickly walked out of the castle's front doors, and down the steps. He smiled when he saw the three together, just like it always should have been. Aqua had grabbed Ven and Terra's hands, and was dragging them in the direction of their home. This elicited laughs from both of the boys. Suddenly, everything felt right. Ven was the first to spot Master Eraqus.

"Master Eraqus!" Ven yelled, now the one pulling Terra and Aqua. "I am never going camping again. A bird took my Wayfinder, I got stuck upside down in a tree, the branch fell and I landed on Terra, bees chased us, we had to jump in a lake... And before! There was a bear, our food was stolen, and we had to figure out how to do laundry... Camping is not fun." He shook his head to emphasize the fact. Master Eraqus laughed.

"Welcome home, Ven." he told the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"He's not lying. The only good part about it was our surprise visitor." Terra told Eraqus, still holding onto Aqua's hand. "That had to be the worse mission ever. Please, no more."

"Welcome home, Terra." Eraqus told the older boy, ignoring the request. He patted him on the shoulder. "Why don't we continue this discussion inside?"

"I think that's a good idea. I have to get dinner started." Aqua told him, walking through the castle doors, Terra in tow. Ven followed quickly after them.

"Yes! Aqua cooking! No more of Terra's camping food!" Ven yelled as he ran past them into the kitchen.

"Yeah, Aqua is the be-" Terra started before realizing what Ven had said. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean? Ven, get back here!" He let go of Aqua's hand and chased after Ven into the kitchen. Aqua sighed.

"Please don't kill each other! I don't want to have to heal you right after we got back." Aqua yelled after them. She flinched when she heard the crashing of pots and pans. "Too late." she muttered in exasperation before running into the kitchen herself.

Master Eraqus just smiled as he listened to the sound of three raised voices. It sounded like Aqua had seperated them and made them both apologize, each coming up with an excuse why they shouldn't have to. And there were the slaps to the back of the head, and the quiet apologies.

He chuckled quietly before making his own way into the kitchen. Tonight, he would allow the behavior. It was just an ordinary night in the Land of Departure. He could only imagine what it would be like when Vanitas joined in. He laughed again, and with that final thought, he entered the kitchen to enjoy the first night back together with his family.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, hope you enoyed it! Thank you so much for reading, and continuing to read. Any ideas are welcome, and thanks again to GingerSnapsBack for a great prompt. We will be using it in a future chapter, as this story still more chapters left in it. But it's all leading to the final Terqua moment. =D So we hope you continue reading, and please, leave a review! It makes our day. =)**


	6. Awakenings

**A/N: Sakura008 here! And it's time for another update! So, this chapter is a combination of three shorter ones, and it may actually read like drabbles or a one shot. But we wanted to combine them so that we could get the plot moving forward. And I shamelessly wanted to add in some Terqua fluff. ;) So... let's see who can figure out why it's called Awakenings (plural). Huge shout out to whoever does! There are three reasons, but the third may be hard. Just want to throw a challenge out there. We'd like to thank all the readers and people who review! Thank you Blue..Dragon.3000 , krissystvs , XionsSomebody , Terra Force XIII, who always gives great encouragement. And thanks for giving Aqua Rocky theme music...Loved that, and it made us laugh. And thanks again to GingerSnapsBack, who reviewed shortly before this was posted. And for the funny paragraph that has given us a new idea...A little Terra and little Aqua moment... Huge shoutout to vildtiger and MusicDude212 for being here since the beginning and reading. Also thank you all for your feedback! Sooo... here it is! enjoy! RR please. It makes our day!**

_**Oh, as a little side question... What movies do you think each of the five would watch? Best suggestions will be used in two chapters. You'll see why soon... =)**_

**[Disclaimer] DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS!**

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><p>*One Week Later*<p>

It was still early as Terra walked into the kitchen, rubbing his face tiredly. He had spent the night in Vanitas's room, watching over the young boy who had yet to wake. He had volunteered to take the night shift, and it had been a long week. Terra hadn't been able to sleep, but that wasn't because of his night shifts.

Everything seemed like it was too good to be true, and he couldn't stop thinking that something else would come along and rip everything from him. He was afraid that if he fell asleep for the night, Aqua wouldn't be there in the morning. So, he stayed awake, checking on her everytime he got up. No matter how often he did this, he always sighed in relief when he saw she was safe asleep. He got his sleep in the form of short naps during the day. Terra shook his head.

He had just handed the watch over to Ven, who, in his oppinion, had way too much energy for five in the morning. BUt, then again, he alwayd had a seemingly endless resevoir of energy, no matter what time of day it was. Ven had volunteered to take every day shift in Vanitas's room, much like Terra had done, but for the night shift. Neither of them would let Aqua stay up or stress herself in any way, aside from training. Terra could tell that she was starting to get annoyed with that.

They had all had a hard time adjusting to being home, safe. The first morning, Terra woke to find Ven in a panic, saying that he couldn't find Aqua. They both ran through the castle and found her shortly later, in the library, safe and sound. Ven had stayed close to her side for the past week, and had trouble sleeping. Aqua let him sleep in the arm chair in her room once again, after one particular bad night. Ven had run into her room, crying, and it didn't take any of them long to figure out he was having nightmares.

Terra had them too, but he would never admit it. He just stayed awake and slept when she was safe in the same room as him. Master Eraqus kept a closer eye on them, as if afraid something- or someone- would come to steal one of them away again. Aqua gave more hugs, seemed to hold everything closer to her than before. She stayed closer to the three of them, didn't like to be alone. They had all been so close to losing everything. It would take time.

Terra sighed and sat down heavily in one of the kitchen chairs before he actually took a look around. The early morning sun was shining brightly through the windows, and the smell of food permeated the room. He smiled when he laid eyes on a lilac haired girl.

"Morning, sleeping beauty." she joked lightly. Terra frowned. He had forgotten she was a morning person as well.

"I think you have the wrong person, Aqua." he joked lightly back. She twisted her body around so she could see him, and immediately felt her cheeks heat up. In his sleep deprived state, he had forgotten to throw a shirt on after his rushed shower. That left his well toned upper body exposed. She knew he didn't know, he was half asleep. But, try as she might, she couldn't form words while looking at him. She qickly returned to cooking on the stove.

"Yes, well." Terra didn't notice the faint blush on her cheeks. "I decided to make brekfast for everyone." She put another pot on the stove. _'I'm sure that Ven or Master_ _Eraqus_ will tell him.' she thought quietly.

Terra only nodded to what she said, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. He was too tired for anything else.

"What, no smart cracks this morning?" she questioned him, twisting around once again to look at him. She frowned when Terra didn't move, save for a skahe of the head. She immediately walked over, embarassment forgotten, and laid her hand on his forehead. That was enough to get Terra's attention. He opened startled cobalt eyes to see concerned looking ocean blue staring right back.

"Aqua... What are you doing?" he asked slowly, suddenly acutely aware of the fact that he had forgotten a shirt that morning. He could feel the heat slowly rising in his cheeks.

"Are you okay? You're not sick or anything? Your face is all red! And you have such dark circles under your eyes... I bet you're not sleeping! That's it, I'm beginning to take shifts with you and Ven." She saw the dissaproving look in his eyes.

"No, you're no-"

"I'm fine, Terra." Aqua told him, sighing. "I'm allowed to train fully again, allowed to share chores and duties. I'm not going to break. Let me take a shift. I can watch Vanitas for a night or two." Terra let out a huff. He knew he wasn't going to win this one. He closed his eyes again.

"Aqua, I'm fine." he tried to reassure her, nearly falling asleep the second his eyes closed. Aqua laughed.

"Yes, as shown by you falling asleep in the two seconds you had you eyes closed." Terra opened his eyes once again to see that she still had her hand on his forehead, eyes filled with the utmost concern.

"Okay, okay... You win." he told her, shoving her hand roughly away from his face. Aqua, who wasn't ready for the violent shift in position, pitched forward. Terra reacted quickly, and grabbed onto the girl, forgetting the fact that he was leaning back on his chair. With Aqua's sudden added weight, the chair began to tip. And before either of them could correct it, they found themselves falling backwards. The pair landed on the kitchen floor with a clatter.

Aqua and Terra slowly opened their eyes, and their faces quickly turned red. Aqua had fallen in a way that found her sitting on Terra's lap, her hands on his bare chest. Her face was mere inches away from his, her blue eyes sartled, lilac hair falling in a curtain around her face. And because Terra had grabbed her, one of his hands was over hers, above his heart, his other hand on her waist.

"Well... That was close." she joked, her voice wobbly. Terra could only stare.

_'Could this possibly be the time to tell her how I feel? I promised myself I would, but-'_ his train of thought was broken as they heard feet running down the stairs.

"Hey, I heard a crash! Are you guys oka- Whoa!" Ven came to a screeching halt in the kitchen doorway. "Am I interrupting something?" Aqua and Terra regained their composure and quickly pulled away from each other, their faces red. Ven snickered, but froze as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Good morning, Ventus. Aqua, Terra." Master Eraqus greeted them as he stopped in the doorway behind Ven.

"M-Master Eraqus!" Ven stuttered as he turned around to look at the man. Aqua and Terra queitly greeted him with good mornings. He had an amused smile on his face, and simply walked into the kitchen and sat down.

"It smelled like someone was cooking breakfast, so I decided to come and check. I also heard a crash. Is everyone alright?" He smiled when they all nodded. "Good." he said, looking around. "Although, I'm not surprised you had an accident. Aqua has quite a few things heating up in here." Ven was on the floor laughing when he saw the mortified expressions on his friends' faces.

"That's a good one!" he laughed as Aqua hurriedly went back to cooking breakfast. Terra muttered somehting before he stepped over Ven, and headed up the stairs. "Hey Terra! Where're ya goin'?" Ven asked, still laughing on the floor.

"To get a shirt." was the faint answer he recieved. Aqua mumbled something about needing some fresh air before she, too, left the room. Ven sat up, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Master Eraqus, that was great." he said, sighing. Eraqus looked at him strangely for a minute before replying.

"What do you mean, Ventus? I only meant that Aqua was making a large breakfast, and that there were many things to keep an eye on. Of course there was more than one thing heating up." he stated calmly.

"Sure, sure. That's how it was meant." he told his Master, sitting down to eat the food Aqua had laid out before she left. It was just the two of them for breakfast that morning.

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><p>*Later that Night*<p>

Terra woke up in his bed and sat up, gasping and shaking. For a few minutes, he didn't know where he was. It was then that he remembered Aqua had insisted that she take the shift that night, and he get some sleep. _'Some sleep I'm getting.'_ he thought quietly to himself as he rubbed his face. His eyes widened when he realized his face was wet. He had been crying.

_'Another nightmare about losing her.'_ He crossed his legs pretzel style under his blanket and put his head in his hands. It had been a long day for for the both of them after what had happened that morning. Training had been awkward, and it had showed. By the time it had ended, Master Eraqus had walked away, shaking his head. Terra did anything he could think of to try to make evrything okay again, and by the time they had seperated to go to their seperate rooms, he had her laughing again. Somehow, everything had turned out okay.

But he needed her now, when he was surrounded by nightmares and left alone in a dark room. It was hard for him to admit that. He needed to know that she was okay. Needed reassurance that he would be okay, that the darkness was gone.

Terra threw his covers back and swung his legs out of bed, preparing to go find her in Vanitas's room. It was then that he heard a gentle knocking on his door.

"Terra?" he heard her call softly through the door. He put his arms on his knees, and his head in his hands again.

"Come in." he called softly in return. There was a quiet click as the door opened, and another as it closed. He heard the soft noise of her footsteps as she crossed the room, eventually sitting next to him on the bed. She took his hands in hers.

"Terra? Are you okay? I heard you down the hallway..." she told him quietly as she gently moved her thumb across his hand.

"Yeah. I'm fine." he told her hoarsely, still not ready to look up at her. Had he really made that much noise?

"Terra... Please?" she whispered. He raised his head to look at the lilac haired girl, tears still wet on his face. Aqua gasped, and he quickly looked back down again, tears threatening to fall from the one who always tried to be strong. She was there next to him. For some reason, that made him want to cry.

Aqua moved closer to him, and his shoulders started shaking. Terra looked up at her once again, and she knew that he had hit his breaking point. She let go of one of his hands abd pulled his head down to her shoulder. It wasn't long before the tears started falling. She held him tighter, closer to her. She knew this had been coming. He had been doing too much, trying to be strong for everyone else but himself. Ven had his breakdown, even she had hers. It had just taken Terra longer to reach his breaking point.

Terra let himself cry. He knew that Aqua wouldn't care. His emotions had reached their boiling point, and he couldn't take anymore. He let all of his fears, anger, and confusion out in that moment with the one who had always cared sitting by his side.

"I'm afraid." he whispered into her shoulder, letting his wall down for the first time in years. He felt her squeeze his hand.

"Of what?" she asked quietly, rubbing his back in circles.

"That something or someone will come and take this all away from me again. That I'll lose you. Or Ven, or Master Eraqus. Even Vanitas. It all seems too good to be true."

"I know, Terra. But nothing will seperate us again. We'll always be together. I'll always be here for you. Let whatever dares to try to seperate us come. We'll beat it all. Together this time. You were never alone, and you never will be." she whispered soothingly to him. He took a deep breath and began to compose himself. Aqua let him take his time, doing everything she could to make him feel better. Awhile later, Terra lifted his head off of her shoulder and looked at her face.

"Thank you." he told her, eyes shining with relief. Aqua smiled.

"Anytime, Terra." Her eyes shone with a strong determination, and he knew she would never let them be seperated again. He could also see gratitude written on her face, and he knew that it was because he finally let someone in. Let her in. "Why don't you try to get some rest?" Terra shook his head.

"Nightmare." It was the only word he whispered, and she understood. Aqua nodded.

"Come with me, then." She stood up, still holding his hand. He followed suit and she pulled him gently out of his room. His door shut with a click, and she led him down the dark hallway, past her room where he could hear Ven queitly snoring, and into Vanitas's room. Terra looked at the sleeping boy on the bed. Everything was peaceful, as it should be.

Aqua pulled him over to the little couch they had placed in the room near the window, and sat him down. She quickly sat next to him, and pulled her light blue blanket over them so that they would stay warm.

"Stay here with me tonight." she told him in response to his confused expression. She smiled at the relieved look that came over his face. He wouldn't have to be alone. "And move your stuff back into my room tomorrow. Master Eraqus won't mind. Well, at least for bit longer. He's been pretty understanding with Ven. You're no different." Terra nodded and smiled back.

"Thank you." he told her again, and settled for looking out the window and at the stars. Aqua nodded before she went back to reading her book of spells that she had brought with her.

It wasn't long before Terra began to feel drowsy, and he felt himself nodding off. He looked over to Aqua, and couldn't help but feel stunned. The light from the moon and stars were reflecting off her face and hair... She looked beautiful. And he was feeling comfortable and relaxed. As much as he wished he could stay up and see her in the perfect setting they were in, he knew he wouldn't be up for much longer.

Aqua had worked her magic again. She was the only one who could make him believe that he was going to be okay, that he was safe, that everything was right in the world... And he loved her all the more for it. _'If only she knew.'_ was his last conscious though before he let himself fall asleep.

Aqua felt a weight on her shoulder and looked up from the book on her lap. Terra had fallen asleep, and he had fallen on her when he did. She smiled and went back to her book. Her hand went unconsciously around his shoulder, her finers running through his hair. She leaned her head on his without realizing what she was doing. He was the only one who could make her feel this safe, this comfortable... And her love for him grew everyday._ 'If only he knew.'_ she mused to herself, once again lost in her book.

Ven walked into the room the next morning, wide awake and prepared to relieve Aqua from her shift. He looked over to the small couch in the room to find not only her, but Terra asleep as well. She was laying on her side with Terra behind her, one of his arms slung protectively around her. Ven smiled and walked out of the room. He'd let them sleep a little longer.

* * *

><p>*Later that Morning*<p>

Ven sighed in frustration as he looked at the lifeless boy lying on the bed. He had not moved in two months. Sure, everyone kept saying that he would come out of it in his own time. But it was so unbelievably hard to wait for the young teen. It was another bright, sunny day in the Land of Departure. There was a light breeze coming in from an open window that Aqua had neglected to close that morning.

Veb sighed again and took a closer look at the young boy who was so much like him. Red and black body suit. Helmet. _'Isn't it hot in there?'_ Ven asked himself as he allowed his mind to wander. He wondered what the boy really looked like, and the curiosity was killing him. He slowly reached for the helmet, and placed his hands on either side before they were whacked away.

"Ow, Aqua! Do you have to hit that hard? I was just curious!" he told the lilac haired teen. Aqua laughed.

"You know what they say, Ven. Curiosity killed the cat." she warned him.

"Yeah, but satisfaction brought it back." he quickly shot back. She sighed.

"Sometimes I think that I taught you too well. I wonder what it's going to be like to live with three boys in the castle? Four if you count Master Eraqus." she quietly mused to herself. She shuddered at the images that emerged. "I can hardly wait."

"Hey, Aqua?" Ven quietly started.

"Yes, Ven?"

"Was I like this too?" Aqua frowned as she remembered how he had been for the first couple of months.

"Yeah, pretty much. You were asleep for such a long time. Terra and I had plenty of sleepless nights. You always had one of us wiht you. I remember the day you woke up though. I had asked if you were ever going to wake up, and the next thing I knew, you were sitting up. And now, here you are. Vanitas will be fine. He just needs time." she answered him, ruffling his blonde hair affectionately.

"Thanks, Aqua." he said, smiling up at her. She smiled back.

"Anytime, Ven." She gave him a quick hug before leaving the room. He knew that she was helping Terra move into her room. For now, he would keep the many jokes to himself. Ven sighed once more as he looked back at the bed.

"C'mon, Vanitas. We're all waiting for you." he told the still boy before resuming his day dreaming. A while later, he saw movement. Vanitas's hand had moved. "Vanitas?" Ven asked, unsure. The boy slowly sat up, shaking his head from side to side, as if trying to get rid of his tiredness. Ven shot up and ran to the door.

"AQUA! TERRA! MASTER ERAQUS! VANITAS IS AWAKE!" he yelled down the hallway. Aqua came sprinting from her room, followed by Terra, who had been moving some of his things in. Master Eraqus was allowing the three of them to share a room for the time being, and had even helped them move a couch in for Terra. The three entered Vanitas's room and looked at the young boy now sitting on the bed.

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><p>Vanitas had slowly come back to consciousness, as if dragging himself out of a deep sleep. The first sight that met his eyes was of a boy around his own age, he assumed, with blonde, spiky hair and sky blue eyes. He sat up, and immediately the boy ran towards the door, yelling for 'Aqua', 'Terra', and 'Master Eraqus', screaming that he was 'awake'.<p>

An image suddenly came to him of the boy lying on the ground, frozen, his eyes full of pain. vanitas shook his head and looked up as two more people entered the room.

One was an older boy with chocolate brown hair and cobalt blue eyes. He was smiling at him, and again, an image floated to the front of his mind. This time, it was of this boy on top of a cliff, with a man standing over him, looking like he was ready to kill the teen. He shook his head again, and allowed himself to look at the third person in the room.

It was a girl, with lilac colored hair, and eyes that looked like the ocean. She was smiling as well, her eyes shining with life. Another image, this time much stronger. She was lying in his arms, bleeding, her eyed a lifeless dull blue. A feeling of guilt suddenly came over him. He looked back over to the girl and, sure enough, there was a red scar running down the left side of her face. He knew he was somehow responsible. Once again, he shook his head to forget.

Another person walked into the room, this time much older. Black hair and dark brown eyes, he looked formidable. But he, like the others, was smiling. There was a vaugue sense of familiarity, and he knew that he once knew this man as well. He blinked, trying to clear his mind.

There was something that he knew that he had to remember, something that was vitaly important to these people. Something he had to tell them. However, seeing as he didn't remember, he saw no reason to talk. _'I think I'll just observe for now.'_ he thought to himself. Suddenly, all the attention was on the black haired man.

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><p>Master Eraqus looked at the boy and slowly walked over. Aqua, Terra, and Ven made room for him to pass. He smiled at the boy.<p>

"Hello, Vanitas. And welcome back." he told the boy warmly. Vanitas just stared at him. "Would you like to take that helmet off?"

A slight shake of the head. No. "Alright, then. But please, make youself at home. We'll have plenty of time to talk." he told the young boy comfortingly, putting a hand on his shoulder. Vanitas nodded, and Eraqus smiled again.

"Aqua, Terra, and Ventus will be taking care of anything you need for now." he told the boy, pointing to the three as he said their names. Vanitas looked at them as they smiled and waved as their names were said, and committed their names to memory. "They will also be your training partners in the future. So I expect all of you to behave." He directed the comment to the three standing behind him. Vanitas smiled behind his mask.

"My name is Master Eraqus. If you have any questions, please just ask. I will let you rest now. Dinner will be later in the day, and we can talk more after you have had some rest." Vanitas nodded, and watched as his new Master left the room. He could feel himself becoming drowsy once again. Aqua and Terra noticed this. They knew that, from dealing with Ven, rest was going to be important.

"Are you tired?" Aqua asked him gently. A slight nod.

"Alright. We'll let you get some rest. We're right down the hall if you need us. We'll come get you for dinner. Aqua is the best cook in all the worlds. You wouldn't want to miss it." Terra told him quietly with a smile. Aqua blushed and Vanitas, who had taken the role of observer, did not miss it. He quietly wondered if there was something going on there.

"What? We're leaving already?" Ven questioned his two best friends.

"Ven, you needed a lot of sleep too." Aqua whispered. "Now come on. I need help with dinner." With that, she smiled and waved at Vanitas, and a reluctant Ven was dragged out of the room.

Terra chuckled before nodding and smiling at Vanitas. The door was closed with a quiet click. And, as Vanitas drifted off to sleep once again, he knew his life would be very... interesting from that point on.

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><p><strong>AN: MeNerf here. Thank you all again and please RR. Hope you liked it and sorry if it seemed a little rushed, we just wanted the story plot to move a long. More fun stuff to come soon! Hopefully we can update within the week. Again, thank you all for your support!**


	7. The First Night

**A/N: Sakura088 here, and with another chapter! The prompt for this one was dinner, and I had a blast writing it. So, I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. So... big thanks to GingerSnapsBack, who always makes us laugh, and gives great prompts... XionsSomebody and PiggyBlue, who consistantly review and whom we are grateful to have as readers...TerraForceXII, who always gives great advice, always reviews and makes our day, and always manages to make us laugh somehow...and thanks to maxiecastillo13 and Pinkbubblegum13, two new readers! And, as always, big thanks to Musicdude212. I hope that's everyone... So, enjoy the chapter and review please! It makes our day. =D**

_**Oh, and pretty please, let us know what movies you think they would all watch! It's very important, and we can't agree, so we have thrown it out to you guys. So please, if you ideas, drop a review or PM either one of us. We always check and answer back.**_

**[Disclaimer] DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS!**

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><p>It was nearing twilight in the Land of Departure as a tired Terra forced himself to shuffle down the long hallway towards Vanitas's room. He had spent the last couple of hours sitting in the kitchen as Aqua made dinner for the five of them, mouth watering as the smells permeated throughout the kitchen. When she had suggested that he lay down until dinner, he told her that he was fine, making up some lame excuse that he didn't even remember now. Although he had gotten sleep last night, all those sleepless nights were catching up with him.<p>

Aqua knew that he was lying through his teeth when he said he was fine, not at all tired. He had fallen asleep on her, after all. He could see in her eyes that she knew he needed rest, and she had tried her best to convince him to lay down, while trying not to burn dinner. She finally gave up with a sigh, rolling her eyes, and turned her attention back to the pot on the stove. She had kept up a steady stream of conversation, and he found himself laughing at her off handed remarks, and smiling when her face lit up with a smile of her own.

The truth was, he found himself enjoying her company more and more as every moment passed. It just seemed to affirm his feelings for her. He had been so set on telling her how he truly felt, but now that they were safe, his conviction seemed to waver. He still loved her, there was no doubt about that as it seemed only to grow as every day went by. But he couldn't bring himself to talk to her about it._ 'I am such a coward.'_ he thought to himself.

Terra sighed and forced himself to walk the last few feet to the correct door. In his hands, he held some of Ven's old clothes. He and Vanitas seemed to be the same size and age.

_'Well, obviously.'_ he reminded himself._ 'They used to be the same person. God, Terra, get a grip.'_ He lightly knocked on the door and entered slowly so as not to startle the newly awakened teen. Vanitas was still asleep, or that was how he appeared to be, as his helmet was still on. Terra quietly walked over to him and gently shook him.

"Vanitas... Hey, it's time to wake up." Vanitas slowly began to stir, and he backed up, not wanting to scare the boy before him. Vanitas slowly sat up, shaking his head, and looked over to where Terra was standing.

Terra smiled at him, despite his tiredness. He walked over and laid the clothes at the bottom of the bed.

"Here. I brought you some of Ven's old clothes. They should fit, and I thought that you may want something else to wear. Aqua's just about finished with dinner, so we'll be eating soon. I'll be outside the room, waiting." With another smile, Terra walked to the door and left the room.

Vanitas stared at the door for a moment longer before eyeing the clothes the brown haired teen had left on the bed. The outfit consisted of a black shirt and jacket, and black sweat pants... A lot more comfortable than what he was in now. Vanitas quickly changed into them, and for a moment, his helmet was off. He stared at the item on the bed, contemplating it, before deciding to put it back on.

_'I think that I want to remain anonymous for a little more time before revealing who I really am.'_ he thought to himself as he headed to the door.

Vanitas walked out of his room and found Terra standing across the hall, waiting for him like he said he would. Vanitas slowly walked over to him, stiff and not wanting to trip. Terra smiled and met the teen halfway. He laid a gentle hand on Vanitas's shoulder and Vanitas was, for the most part, shocked. _'He cares about me? But why?'_ the boy questioned himself. Terra smiled warmly at him.

"Ready to go?" he asked gently. A nod was his answer, and he started off back down the hallway. Vanitas followed closely behind, wary of his new surroundings. The hallway seemed so long, and there were so many rooms and doors that they could possibly go through. The place seemed like one giant maze that he would never be able to figure out. He sighed in frustration. This was supposed to be his new home, and he was already confused. Terra, walking ahead of him, heard the sigh and turned around.

"Don't worry, it won't seem so confusing after a while." Somehow the brown haired teen knew exactly what Vanitas was concerned about. "I remember when I first arrived. I was feeling just as lost as you are now. But you have us to help you. Just ask, and we'll point you in the right direction." The two fell into a silence after that, and eventually descended the stairs.

Entering the kitchen, Vanitas could not help but be stunned. It was a very large room filled with the most updated appliances. There were plates of food in the middle of the table, and the smell wafting through the room made his mouth water. Master Eraqus was already sitting down at the head of the table, with Ven sitting a seat away to the right. The two looked over as they saw Terra and Vanitas walk into the room.

"Ah, there you are Vanitas. I trust all is well?" Master Eraqus asked. Vanitas slowly nodded his head, still unsure of the imposing man. Ven, however, waved energetically at him, bouncing slightly in his seat.

"Hey Vanitas... Sit across from me!" he all but screamed. Vanitas turned his head to look up at Terra, as if to say, _'Really?'_. Terra chuckled and shook his head before he patted Vanitas on the shoulder and went to sit down next to Ven. Aqua had turned away from her current task to look at the boys.

"Ven, what did I say before? Indoor voice please. Terra had a rough night last night, and I took over his shift, so we're both tired and in need of more sleep. We don't want what happened last time when you yelled and we both had headaches to happen again, now do we?" she asked sweetly. Too sweetly. Ven leaned away from her in his seat, nearly tipping over.

"N-No, Aqua! That's okay, I'm good, I swear!" Ven replied. He hated when Aqua was in this kind of mood, as rarely as it happened. She was usually sweet and even tempered, but when she was over stressed, they all knew to stay out of her way. Last time, Ven had wound up sleeping with the fishes... literally.

Master Eraqus had been pushing Terra and Aqua hard, and they had been stressed. Ven had thought that it would be funny to bother them, and boy, had that backfired. Somehow, she and Terra had managed to use Zero Gravira on his bed, and had somehow landed him on the lake, where he woke the next morning. He took a very early shower that morning, and it was not something that he wanted to repeat. Master Eraqs had simply shook his head and told Aqua and Terra that wasn't what he meant when he said they needed to practice their spells. Aqua sighed and walked over.

"I'm sorry, Ven. I'm just tired, and a little stressed. There's this one spell that I can't seem to learn, no matter how much practice I put into it." she told him, ruffling his hair. Ven smiled brightly up at her.

"Aw, it's all right. I know that you'll get it, Aqua. You always do!" Aqua laughed and hugged him over the chair before going back over to the sink.

"Thanks Ven."

"I could always help you if you want." Everyone froze and looked over to the owner of the voice: Terra. He was leaning back in his chair, eyes closed, perfectly relaxed. He was completely oblivious to the looks he was recieving. Ven gaped at him, mouth hanging open. Aqua had dropped the spoon she was using on the floor. Even Master Eraqus looked at him like he had two heads. Vanitas just looked back and forth between the four, wondering what was going on.

"Did Terra just VOLUNTEER to practice MAGIC?" Ven managed to choke out. "Is the world going to end tomorrow or what?" Terra opened one eye and stared at Ven.

"So? I need the practice." he told the blonde haired boy. Ven snickered.

"Yeah, a whole bunch of practice. The world is gonna end tomorrow, either becase you burn it down or deep freeze it."

"That's quite enough, Ventus. I think it's quite a good idea." Master Eraqus stated, regaining his composure. Terra nodded, closing the eye that had opened.

"As long as Aqua wants me." he replied. Aqua blinked.

"O-Of course I want you! T-To help me, that is." she quickly told him, a blush forming on her cheeks. "And in return, I could help you with your magic."

"Wonderful idea, Aqua. Maybe he will make some progress with a different teacher." Master Eraqus told her, before turning to Terra. "And I thought you learned yesterday morning not to lean back in these chairs. They can be... quite unstable." Terra quickly slammed his chair down, and looked over to Aqua, who had frozen.

"So, Aqua, sounds like a plan for tomorrow." he told her before getting up quickly to help her and to hide the blush that was forming on his cheeks. He looked at her, and found that she was trying hard not to laugh. He sighed in contentment. These were moments that he had missed.

Vanitas, who had been watching everything, was finally able to put the pieces together, and almost laughed when he saw the big picture. When he felt himself smiling, he stopped, and thought about why he had been doing that so much. Something told him that he never really had before. He shrugged, and returned to thinking about the observations that he had made.

_'So... Ventus is much to eager when it comes to... well, everything. Master Eraqus is a kind man, not as intimidating as I first thought. He has a soft, fun side around his 'family', which I guess would be those three. I wonder if I'll fit in there someday? Aqua is a very nice, pretty woman, although I shouldn't yell or get on her bad side. Apparently, magic is her strong suit, and she must be good, from what Ven said. She seems friendly and level headed. And from the smells in the kitchen, she's a great cook.'_ He thought, watching her laugh at something Terra had said.

_'Terra is a warm person as well, but tough on the outside. He has a big presence. From the reactions of everyone else, he hates to practice magic, and isn't too great at it. From his build, his strong suit must be physical strength. But he was so eager to volunteer to help Aqua, and she was so flustered, not to mention something happening with the chair... So there IS something going on there. I wonder why they haven't said anything to each other. They're clearly well suited for each other.'_

"Vanitas, why don't you go sit down? You don't have to stand." Aqua told him, snapping him out of his musings. He nodded his head and sat down across from Ven, who smiled brightly at him. He vaguely wondered if he should have sat next to Master Eraqus.

_'Too late now.'_ he thought to himself as Aqua and Terra took their places at the table, directly across from each other. Terra smiled at her, and she quickly smiled back, her whole face lighting up. _'Oh yeah. Definitely something going on there.'_

Dinner had a vey light, comfortable air to it. Everyone was relaxing and joking around, enjoying the food that Aqua had spent the day cooking. Everyone, that is, except for Vanitas. He had yet to touch the food on the plate in front of him. Ven had been staring at him for the past five minutes, as if waiting for him to finally pick up the fork and start eating. He slowly grew uncomfortable as he continued to stare at him, and Vanitas shrank back in his seat.

"C'mon, Vanitas!" Ven finally shouted, startling everyone at the table. "Take your helmet off and eat something!" Ven slammed his fist down on the table, as if to make his point stronger, causing all the dishes to jump a little. Vanitas, who wasn't used to Ven's outgoing personality, jumped as Ven's hand made contact with the hard wood.

His slight jump to one side of the chair was enough to cause the chair to become unbalanced, and everyone watched as he fell over backwards, landing on the floor. _'So that's what he meant about the chairs being unstable.'_ he thought with a wince.

Aqua quickly jumped out of her chair and bent down to his level, quickly followed by Master Eraqus. She gently helped Vanitas slowly sit up while Terra turned to the stunned blonde haired ball of energy and scolded him.

"Are you okay, vanitas?" Master Eraqus asked, bending down to the boy's height. A slight nod was his answer, and he sighed in relief. He held out a hand, and Vanitas hesitantly took it, allowing the man to help him stand up. Aqua picked the chair up and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry." she said with a laugh. "Ven takes some getting used to." Vanitas watched as she walked around the table to Ven, and slapped him on the back of the head.

"Ow, Aqua, why d-"

"Really, Ventus? Go say you're sorry." Ven shot up out of his seat when she used his full name. He knew he was in trouble. Ven walked around the table, rubbing the back of his head as he went, before he stopped in front of Vanitas.

"I'm sorry, Vanitas." Ven began. "I didn't mean to- Whoa!" he suddenly exclaimed, causing everyone to look at him strangely. But Terra knew the look in Ven's eyes. It meant he was about to dig himself a hole.

_'Ven, please don't do it-'_ Terra silently pleaded with the boy. He watched as Ven poked Vanitas's helmet. _'Too late...'_ he thought, putting his hand to his face.

"It's like a fish bowl!" Ven stated as he tapped on the glass. Vanitas made no move to stop him.

"Ventus." Ven froze in mid poke and turned to look at Master Eraqus. "Sit back down this instant. When you are done with dinner, report to your room. I will find a suitable punishment later."

"Yes, Master Eraqus." Ven replied, head hanging. He just got caught up in the moment all the time, and acted before he thought. _'I'm really gonna have to stop that.'_ he thought to himself before looking at Vanitas again. "I'm sorry again, Vanitas."

Ven began to walk back to his seat, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Vanitas looking at him before he gave a slow and hesitant nod. It was a clear 'apology accepted' gesture, and Ven smiled and nodded back, letting the boy know that he understood. Aqua and Terra let out a sigh of relief before looking at each other. It was going to be a long week.

Ven returned to his seat next to Terra and finished dinner quickly. He mumbled a quiet good night to everyone before heading up to his room. The others continued dinner in a comfortable silence unil Aqua noticed Vanitas still hadn't touched his plate.

"Vanitas? Are you okay? Did I make something that you didn't like?" she asked, concern clear in her eyes and voice. Vanitas shook his head quickly. He liked the kind lilac haired girl, and he didn't want to upset her for no reason.

"I tried to make food that I thought you may like." she told him, looking down to a bowl of spaghetti that was among the many other dishes on the table. "I'm sorry if I got it wrong."

Vanitas shook his head, more noticeably this time._ 'The food looks delicous, and smells even better.'_ he thought to himself, wondering if he should speak up and tell her that or if he should just take his helmet off and eat. However, Terra beat him to the punch.

"Aqua, your cooking is fine. I think he's just a little shy in front of us still. Give him time." Terra told her, and Vanitas nodded. Aqua smiled, and nodded her head as well.

"All right then." she replied. Terra leaned back in his chair and yawned before looking at the boy sitting next to Aqua. They had all finished dinner, and it didn't look like the boy was planning to eat anytime soon.

"Are you ready?" he asked, standing up from the table. "I'll show you where the bathroom and your room is." Vanitas nodded and rose, walking over to where Terra was standing. The two proceeded to leave the room, and Aqua sighed. She stood and began to clear the table, as it was her turn to dishes that night.

Master Eraqus rose as well, and helped her to clear the table. He stopped by the sink when the table was clear, and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Aqua. You'll get through to him in time." he told. She smiled and nodded.

"You're right. I just have to be patient, like I had to be with Ven at first." she answered. Master Eraqus grimaced.

"Yes, and look where he is now. A ball of non-stop energy." Aqua grinned wider.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't change one thing about him." she replied, thinking about all the fun times the three of them had together. She sincerely hoped that Vanitas would be included in future memories, training, pranks, birthdays... everything. He was one of them now. Master Eraqus smiled at his middle pupil.

"Neither would I. Ven is one of a kind." he chuckled quietly. She laughed quietly with him for a moment before he patted her on the shoulder one last time and headed towards the stairs.

"Good night, Aqua."

"Good night, Master Eraqus." Aqua replied as she turned to begin the dishes. It was silent in the kitchen, peaceful. It almost seemed surreal after everything that had happened in the past months. But she couldn't be happier. This was where she belonged, where they all belonged.

_'Well, that was quite an eventful night.'_ she thought to herself as she dried the last dish. She turned her thoughts back to Vanitas. _'Why didn't he want to eat? I know_ _that he said it wasn't the food, but was that really true? Ven did make a huge commotion, but he does that every night. He'll get used to it. It shouldn't have done anything to his appetite though. Maybe Terra was right, that he's not comfortable with us yet. But he's gone so long withoue eating... He has to be hungry.'_

Aqua sighed in frustration. It was then that another idea came to her.

"What if it's just that he didn't want to take his helmet off his head? You can't eat without taking it off." she said out loud to no one in particular. She snapped her fingers. "That's it! I know what I can try!"

She quickly made up another plate and warmed it up with a gentle Fire spell underneath the dish. She quickly placed it on a wooden tray along with a pitcher of home made iced tea-she had gone all out for his first meal- and a glass, and made her way up the stairs.

Vanitas was startled when he heard a knock on his door. He had been looking out his window and at his new home, contemplating everything that had happened that night. His stomach was rumbling, complaining that he hadn't eaten. He had been seriously considering sneaking into the kitchen later when everyone was asleep when the soft knock had been heard.

He stood up and walked to the door, putting his helmet back on before he answered. He was surprised to see who it was. Aqua was standing there with a smile on her face, holding a tray with a plate of food along with a glass and a pitcher of iced tea.

"Hey." she softly started. "I thought that maybe the reason you didn't want to eat was because you didn't want to take your helmet off in front of us yet. So, I brought some food to your room." Vanitas just stared at her. First Terra, and now Aqua. How did they know what he was thinking all the time? He still said nothing.

"If you don't want it, I can always take it back to the kitchen." she told him, her smile faltering. Vanitas shook his head and reached out for the tray, just as his stomach protested against skipping dinner again. Aqua laughed and smiled, her face brightening as she handed over the tray.

"I hope that you like it." she told him. "I'll leave now, so you can eat. I'll see you bright and early for breakfast. Don't worry, I'll bring it up here for you, it's not a problem. As long as you're eating. Have a good night!" She smiled again and waved before she walked back down the hallway and into her room. She laughed, and he could hear Ven and Terra laughing as well. For some reason, he felt content. He shut the door with a click, and put the tray down on a small table.

Vanitas slowly took off his mask and stared at the food before hesitantly picking up the fork and trying some of the spaghetti. His eyes widened in surprise as the food reached his mouth.

_'It's delicious! Terra wasn't lying. She is the best cook ever.'_ he thought as he continued to eat. He could tell that the iced tea was homemade, and it made him feel guilty that she had done so much just for him, only to have him not eat at dinner.

It didn't take long before the plate had been cleaned, the pitcher empty. Vanitas felt comfortable and relaxed, even though the castle was still so strange to him. Something told him that he had never had a meal that good, never been as safe as he was now.

He laid back on his bed, eyes already closing. It had been a tiring couple of hours, with new people, new rules. Vanitas listened to the sounds coming down the hallway.

"Get her!" he heard Terra bellowed.

"Pillow fight!" Ven yelled in return. It was followed by a squeal, the sounds of pillows hitting someone, and laughter in three different voices.

"Hey, not fair! At least let me get something to defend myself with!" he heard Aqua laugh. Vanitas found himself smiling again, and wondered why these people had him doing that so often.

He got up and changed into another outfit of Ven's, this time to sleep in. He laid back down, settling into bed, listening as the other three said their good nights. And as he drifted off to sleep himself, he had one thought on his mind.

_'Maybe... Maybe this is where I'm truly meant to be.'_

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><p><strong>AN: So, I hope that you guys enjoyed, and maybe got a laugh or two. I know I did writing it. This is probably my favorite chapter so far. And if you find Ven a little OOC, I'm sorry, but we had to put the fish bowl thing in there. ^-^ To finish this out, MeNerf wants to say a few words.**

**MeNerf here. Thanks for reading and reviewing. RR please. Hope you liked it!**


	8. Magic In The Air

**A/N: Hey guys! We're back! Sorry that it's taken so long to update, but there's been a lot going on in the past week or so. So, thank you to GingerSnapsBack, MusicDude212, TerraForceXIII, and TheOneAndOnlySucessor for reviewing! You guys are great! So enjoy the chapter, and sorry if they're OOC. I tried to go back and fix things that didn't seem right. Hope you like it! **

_***Oh, and MeNerf and I have been working on another collaboration. We've made up our own 100 chapter challenge. It's to be called 100 TAVV Moments Gone Wrong. It will be under comedy and romance, and will be another Terqua fic. So, tell us, should we post it? Any interest at all? I will eventually post the challenge on my profile (Sakura088), but the fic will still be on MeNerf's account. But let us know your oppinion! =D***_

**[Disclaimer] Do Not Own Kingdom Hearts**

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><p>Morning dawned cold and rainy in the Land of Departure, rain lashing at the windows of the castle. A lilac haired teen sighed as she stared out her window at the rivulets of water that rain down the glass. She knew that the bright sunny days were too good to last. Autumn was almost upon their home, and with the change of season came the rain.<p>

Aqua shivered in the chill of the morning, and a side long look at her clock told her that it was five in the morning. Master Eraqus had excused her from her turn in the kitchen, as she was supposed to train with Terra today.

_'I wonder if he's up.'_ she mused quietly to herself, once again staring out her window._ 'I wonder if he even remembered.'_

"Are you ready?" she heard a deep voice ask from the doorway. Aqua jumped and quickly turned around. There, standing in the dorrway, was the brown haired teen she was just wondering about, cobalt blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Oh! G-Good morning, Terra. Yes, I'm ready. Are you?" she replied with a smile. He had remembered.

"As ready as I'll ever be when it deals with magic." he told her with a grimace. Aqua laughed and walked towards the door, only pausing to pick up the book that she had been lugging around that week. Terra raised his browns questioningly.

"This book has the instructions for the spell I have been trying to learn. Although, it's not much help." she told him in reply to his confused expression. He nodded and smiled before leading the way down the hallway and towards the kitchen. There, they were greeted with the smell of breakfast.

"Good morning, Aqua. Terra." Master Eraqus greeted them as they walked into the kitchen. "I trust all is well?"

"Yes, Master Eraqus." they chorused, sitting down at the table.

"Very good." He smiled at them before putting plates of food down on the table. "Eat. Then I assume you wil begin training?"

"Yes, Master." Aqua told the man before beginning to eat. "I want to try to master this spell again. Especially now that I have help." She shot a grateful glance at the boy across the table.

"Anytime. All you have to do is ask." he replied with a smile, beginning to eat as well. _'That's all you ever had to do.'_ he thought to himself silently. Master Eraqus watched the exchange between his two students, a small smile forming on his face before he sat down as well.

Breakfast passed in an easy silence, but the rain showed no signs of letting up. Terra sighed as he and Aqua stod up and headed for the door, ready to sprint for the training hall.

"Aqua..." Eraqus stopped her as she opened the door. "You never told me what spell you are trying master. Maybe I could help you in some way?"

"Thank you, Master, and I mean no disrespect, but I want to try to learn this one with as little assisstance as possible. You made me a Master. I want to make you proud." she told him with a determined look in her eyes.

"You have already made me proud Aqua. You have always made me proud." he replied with a kind smile. Aqua walked away from the door and quickly hugged him, the man who she saw as a father. She let go, and smiled.

"Thank you." she told him quietly. "For taking me in. For teaching me. For everything." Master Eraqus placed his hand on her shoulder.

"It was my pleasure, Master Aqua." he replied in the same quiet tone. "Make sure Terra is ready and able to use magic. His second chance is coming up soon." Aqua's eyes widened.

"You mean-"

"Yes. His second Master Qualification Exam."

"Does he know?" she asked him, excitement growing on her face.

"No, he does not. Let us keep it a secret for now, shall we?" Aqua nodded and smiled wider. Eraqus placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her and gently shooing her towards the door and Terra. "Now, go. I have no doubt that you will get this spell with practice."

"I'll try my best." she told him, smiling at Terra.

"Please be careful." Eraqus spoke to the both of them now. "Keep an eye on each other. Do not over work yourselves."

"Don't worry, Master. We'll both be fine." Terra rolled his eyes as he pushed Aqua out the door and ran after her. Eraqus couldn't hold back the smile that appeared on his face this time. He watched out the window as the pair raced towards the training hall, their laughter floating back to the castle. HIs smile widened as Terra took Aqua's hand to stop her from falling into the mud. They looked so happy together, and after the stress of the past couple of months, they deserved it. All of a sudden, there was a loud noise from the direction of the stairs.

"Ah, good morning Ventus." he said as he turned around and saw the blonde haired boy stumble to the table. "Are you ready for that punishment now? You will be practicing combat training on the rings outside." One look outside was enough. Ven groaned.

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><p><strong>*The Training Hall*<strong>

By the time Aqua and Terra had made it to the safety of the training hall, they were both sopping wet. It didn't bother them, as they had laughed the entire way, and it felt like it had been too long since the last time they had done so. All it took was a simple Fire spell in Aqua's hand to dry the two of them off, no damage done. Once the two were sufficiently dry and warm once again, Terra turned to Aqua.

"So, what shall we work on today, Master Aqua?" he asked in a teasing voice with a slight bow.

"Well, I thought we could work on your Fire magic. It's raining, so I don't think that you will be able to Ignite the training hall once more." she laughed. Terra frowned.

"Hey! I did try to put it out." he told her in his defense.

"Yes, and you succeeded in deep freezing the entire place. It took the Master and I two days to thaw it out." she stated, eyes glowing with amusement. Terra took one look at her face and smiled again.

"Fine, fine. If that's what you would like to work on. But I do need help with that ball of light spell. Maybe we could work on that today and save Fire for another?" he tried once more in an attepmt to stay away from Fire. Aqua gave in with another smile.

"Alright then. If that's what you would like to work on. So, when you are trying to summon the balls of light..." Terra listened intently to what she was telling him. He was determined to make some real progress today, especially with Aqua as his teacher. He didn't want to let her down. "Got it?" she finished. He nodded his head.

"I think so. Concentrate on the light that I have inside of my heart and channel it through my keyblade. But, at the same time, imagine the form that I want it to take." he recited back. It sounded so simple when she explained how she was able to do it. Maybe he'd be able to.

"Very good." she told him, surprise coloring her voice. He never paid attention when Master Eraqus tried to teach him, or any of the other times he was supposed to listen. _'Don't question it, Aqua.'_ she quietly told herself. _'And don't read too much into it. Don't think that he's trying_ _to improve just for you. Maybe he genuinely wants to_ _learn this spell...even though it's one of my favorites... Stop!_' She shook her head to clear her mind.

"So... Should I give it a shot?" Terra asked her, dragging her out of her thoughts. Aqua nodded.

"Move into the center, that way you have more room. And if anything explodes, there is less chance of damage that way."

"Ha ha. Very funny." he replied sarcastically, but did as she said. After an hour of trying, Terra became frustrated. The spell had back fired on him five times, and had done nothing all the other times.

"I just can't do this!" he shouted in frustration, throwing his keyblade to the tiled floor. Aqua quickly walked over and put her hands on either side of his face. He refused to meet her eyes. She had tried so hard to teach him one of her favorite spells, one of the basic spells, and he had failed. He put everything he had into it, and he still failed.

"Terra, look at me." she told him, lifting his head up. Blue met blue. "You can do this. I know you can. If you become impatient, the spell becomes impatient. That is why it is back firing on you. That is why it always does. Clear you mind. Relax. Don't rush." Terra took a deep breath and nodded. He resummoned his keyblade from the floor.

"Thanks." he told her quietly. Aqua smiled and slowly backed away to watch.

Terra readied his keyblade. But this time, instead of rushing into it all at once, he took a minute to relax and think. 'Ball.' he thought silently. 'Spherical. Round.' There was nothing on his mind aside from that ball of light.

He felt his body channel his light naturally into his keyblade, without him having to think about it. He wondered if this was how Aqua always felt when she used magic. Like it was as natural as breathing.

This felt different than all the other times he tried to use magic. It was a slow, gentle feeling, as opposed to the rushed, violent feeling he had felt before. He slowly opened his eyes, and there, right in front of him, was a glowing ball of light. It emitted a soft light that lit up the darkened room, reaching even the darkest corner. It dissipated gradually, the light fading from the room once again. He had done it. He had performed magic, and it felt natural to him for the first time. He never thought he would feel that way about something he thought he could never understand.

Aqua clapped from across the room, breaking his train of thought.

"Terra, you did it!" she exclaimed, coming closer to him once again. He looked up at her with a large smile on his face.

"I can't believe it. I never thought that it would feel so natural to use magic." he told her simply. She laughed, and laid her arm on his.

"I want you to remember that feeling. It's what I do every time I perform a spell. It allows me to use magic whenever I need it, without having to think too hard about what I want to do. Especially in a crisis when there is no time to think or relax. That feeling will help you to do the same. I have never shared what I feel with magic with anyone else. Just you. And it is yours to use. I hope that it helps." she told him with a small smile. Terra pulled her in for a tight hug.

"Thank you, Aqua. I never thought that I'd feel so comfortable using magic. I hope that it helps me. Because everytime I use that technique, that feeling, I will always think of you, and how you made me feel." He gently released her, and she smiled up at him.

"I think that it was about time I shared my technique with someone. Especially with you." she replied, a faint pink blush on her cheeks.

"Thank you. Again. It means a lot. I'm actually looking forward to trying it out in a spar."

"Well, that will come a little bit later. But for now, I would like you to try something else for me. Try the same technique, but this time, with Fira." Aqua explained.

"Are you sure? I mean, you're taking a huge risk. I might burn the place down." he joked.

"I am willing to take the chance." she laghed. Terra shrugged and waited until she had backed away before trying a Fira spell. For some reason, he always had the most trouble with Fire magic.

Terra closed his eyes once again and concentrated on images of fire. The warmth that always came off of it. He felt a different feeling this time, a warming sensation throughout his body and keyblade. He opened his eyes once more, this time to see a perfect Fira spell. He extinguished the flame before shock made him loose concentration, and it became a blaze. He looked over to Aqua and saw a pleased smile cross her face. This time, it was Terra who walked over, pulling her into a tight hug once again.

"I can't believe it!" he laughed as he spun her around. Aqua laughed along with him and hugged him tightly back. Terra gently put her down.

"Well, this is how I look at it. You're stubborn, hard, and unbreakable, like the earth. But the second that you relax, and become flexible like water... Well, you saw the results." she told him. He nodded.

"Now, we need to work on your spell. Umm... What exactly is it?" Terra asked her. He watched as she opened her book.

"It's a spell combining Firaga and Blizzaga magic. It's supposed to create Cold Fire." she told him, pointing to the picture in the book. Terra scratched his head.

"Well, I have no idea how to do that, but I'll help you in any way that I can." he said apologetically.

"It's okay." Aqua replied with a smile. "I may need some moving targets later, and the balls of light would be perfect. But right now, just being here works." He nodded.

"Then I'll go stand out of your way for now. But please, don't overdo it. I know how you can get with magic."

"I promise." Aqua told him, and waited until he was out of the way before beginning.

* * *

><p>It had been two hours , and Terra had been watching as the girl in the center of the room struggled with magic for the first time in her life. He could see that she was getting frustrated, as all that she had been able to do was summon small whisps of a blue fire. He was wondering if he should go and stop her, but she dropped her keyblade and sat on the floor beside it before he was able to do anything.<p>

"Why is this so hard for me?" she mumbled to herself in frustration as Terra started to walk over. He knew that magic was something that she prided herself on, as physical strength and speed were not her forte. He knew that she must have felt like a failure at that point. Terra sat down next to her and pulled her close into a hug. She burried her head in his chest.

"Aqua, now you look at me." She did so with some hesitation. For the second time that day, blue met blue. "You are the most talented person with magic that I have ever met. I know that you can do this. I believe in you. You weren't made a Master for no reason." Aqua sniffed and nodded her head.

"You're right, Terra. I just have to keep trying. It's just hard. No spell has ever taken me this long to complete." she told him, embarassed that she had broken down because she couldn't master a spell.

"Hmm... Well, I'm no expert on magic, but instead of being flexible, like that water, maybe you should try to be hard like the earth? Maybe higher level spells require a firmer frame of mind." he suggested. Aqua looked up at him, eyes thoughtful.

"I think that's worth a try. What is there to loose?" she asked him, and Terra helped her up.

"You know where I'll be." he told her with a smile, before backing off once again. She nodded and planted her feet firmly in one spot, a strong look of determination back in her eyes, and began the spell.

This time, instead of letting the magic bend and go the way it wanted, she held it firm. She lifted the tip of her keyblade so that it was pointing straight up in the air, instead of diagonally at the ground. She closed her eyes, and let the energy surge upward instead of outward, to the tip of her blade.

The room suddenly became tinted blue, and she opened her eyes. Both she and Terra were stunned to see whisps of blue fire floating throughout the room. It flickered, just like a flame would, but she could feel that it was both hot and cold, somehow at the same time. Exactly as it was supposed to be. Aqua lost her concentration and let the magic bend, and the little flames extinguished. Terra stood and walked over.

"Wow." he whispered, a look of amazement in his eyes.

"Wow indeed." Aqua agreed in a hushed tone. Terra smiled.

"So. Should I summon some moving targets?" She smiled back.

"Go for it. You were right, Terra. I have to keep a firm hold on it or it bends and escapes my grasp. I want to see how this is going to work in combat. Please?" Terra nodded and closed his eyes. A minute later, there were moving balls of light throughout the room.

"You're improving." Aqua told him, a hint of pride in her voice. He smiled in accomplishment and moved back, signaling for her to begin. Neither of them heard the door to the training hall open then close. Aqua closed her eyes and repeated the movements that she had done before. Before long, the floating blue fire was back. She looked over to Terra.

"Go for it. I'm ready." And with that, the balls of light began to move around the room at a faster pace. Aqua concentrated and sent little pieces of blue fire to chase after each of the balls. They both watched as as one of the flames caught a ball and attatched to it. The ball was slowly consumed by the fire, and dissapaited into nothingness. The fire dropped to the tiled floor, but burned nothing that it tounched. The two watched in stunned silence as all the other balls were destroyed in a similar fashion.

"So it's a long range magic attack." she whispered to Terra as he moved closer, both still staring at the last ball of light slowly being consumed. "Almost like Ignite, but stronger. And it burns only what you target. Nothing else." Terra nodded his head and blinked as the light in the room returned to its normal hue as the last of the Cold Fire died out.

"You're going to have to teach me that." he laughed quietly.

"I did it. Terra, I did it!" Aqua yelled as realization hit her. She turned and jumped into Terra's waiting arms. "Thank you!" she told him, hugging him tightly. He laughed again.

"It was my pleasure." he replied with a smile. "Anytime."

"Whoooooaaaa." They both froze as they heard a voice in the doorway. There, watching, was a soaking wet Ventus and a dry Master Eraqus and Vanitas. Ven's eyes were wide, and Master Eraqus seemed to be stunned. Even Vanitas, with his helmet on, was still staring at the place where the last ball had been.

"Aqua, that was so cool!" Ven told her as he reached her, giving her a hug. "I told you that ypu could do it."

"Aqua, you have mastered a spell that I have not even dared to attempt." Eraqus told her, eyes wide, but with pride in them. He bowed slightly. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Master. But it was Terra who finally figured it out." she told him, laughing. "Hello, Vanitas." she told the young boy standing behind their Master, waving at him. She was rewarded with a slight wave back, and her smile widened.

"Ven, what have you been doing all day? You're soaked." Terra stated with a laugh.

"Yeah, thanks for pointing out the obvious. It was my punishment for yesterday." Ven told the older teen, finishing in a sneeze. Tera chuckled quietly, and summoned perfectly controled Fire magic into his hand so that he could help Ven dry off and get warm. Master Eraqus looked at the teen in surprise. If he had tried that this morning, Ven would've been a little more than dry. Eraqus smiled.

"I think that I will have Aqua teach you magic from this point on. I have never seen Terra make this much progress in one day, let alone an hour. I still remember taking two days to thaw out this ro-."

"Yes, we all know how I completely destroyed this place a year ago. But Aqua makes magic easy. I'd be glad to have her as my teacher. If she wants me." he said looking at the lilac haired girl.

"I'd be honored to teach you, Terra." she replied with a smile and bow. Terra smiled back and bowed in return. Their eyes met and they laughed as one, moving towards each other for another hug.

"Thank you, Terra." she told him again before quickly kissing his cheek and running towards the door.

Terra smiled widely, slightly blushing before he ran after her. Master Eraqus watched his two eldest students as Terra caught her and lifted her of the ground, holding her against his chest. Both were laughing, and Ven quickly knocked them both over with a hug of his own. Vanitas slowly walked over as the three picked themselves up off the floor. Eraqus watched as Terra and Aqua shared one more glance at each other, and the four began to walk towards the door.

Eraqus walked to the door and could not help but smile as Terra once again grabbed Aqua's hand, and the two raced Ven and Vanitas across the grounds and towards the castle.

_'Who would have thought,'_ he silently pondered as he focused on Terra and Aqua's conjoined hands, _'that two people as different as Earth and Water would ever fall in love?'_

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><p><strong>AN: So, thanks for reading this chapter, and I hope that you all liked it. I'm sorry if it was a little cheesy, but we thought it was cute. Sorry for any OOC. And please, leave a review! It makes our day. =) And please, let us know waht you think about our new idea in a review or PM. If there's enough people who like it, we could post it by tonight. Thanks so much! =D**


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